Kickers are people too.
Punters and kickers are two of the more under-appreciated positions in the NFL.
Players like Justin Tucker and Brandon Aubrey have refined the NFL’s kicking game, making 60-yard field goals seem like a breeze.
As a kicker playing in the British American Football Leagues, let me tell you a 60-yard field goal is no easy feat.
After Tyler Bass missed an extra point against the New York Jets in Week 6, Bill Belichick erupted into laugher on Peyton Manning’s ‘ManningCast’.
This was despite a severe weather warning that night, with up to 40mph winds during the game, which would obviously have an impact on the kicking.
Kickers are people too, and Bucs kicker Chase McLaughlin is definitely one of the best in the league.
Accuracy, Consistency and Distance
The Buccaneers have scored 279 points this season. The equivalent of 27.9 points per game.
McLaughlin has scored 77 of those points – averaging 7.7 per game – representing over a quarter of the Bucs’ total points at 27.6%.
Since joining the Bucs in 2023, McLaughlin has attempted 48 field goals.
He has made 45, giving him an extremely impressive completion rate of 93.85%.
McLaughlin is particularly impressive from the mid-to-long distance of 50-59 yards, converting on 13 of 15 attempts from that range – a completion percentage of around 87%.
Not only reliable on field goals, McLaughlin is on extra points too. He has attempted 63 extra points for Tampa Bay, and has made 62.
There are only 10 kickers this season that have over a 90% accuracy with at least 15 attempts.
As my coach once told me: “Coaches would much rather a guy who can go 10/10 from 30 yards than a guy who can go 5/10 from 50 yards.”
The kicker is supposed to be a safety blanket. Accuracy and consistency are absolutely key, not distance.
‘Famous’ kickers like Tucker, Aubrey, Jake Moody and Younghoe Koo are undoubtedly impressive athletes, but they lack consistency – at least this season.
The top five ranked kickers in terms of accuracy with a minimum of 15 attempts is as follows:
- Jake Bates: 100%
- Chris Boswell 96.7%
- Blake Gruppe 94.7%
- Chase McLaughlin 94.1%
- Cam Little 93.8%
In a team dominated by big names like Mike Evans and Baker Mayfield, McLaughlin is having a great season.
Kickers are important to the success of any NFL franchise, and this season, McLaughlin has been one of the best in the league.
