About This Quiz
A team is down by one point, and it's the final seconds of the game. The offense just worked their tails off to drive the ball down the field and get into field goal range to give their kicker a chance to win it for them. A timeout has been called to stop the clock, and the kicker's on the sideline getting ready. The pressure couldn't be any higher. The player who no one thinks about is the one who's lining up to win the game. Will that kicker be carried off the field in celebration or walk off in disappointment?
For a player who's often dismissed by fans, a kicker has one of the most important jobs on the field, as they often determine if a game is won or lost on a missed field goal or even an extra point. Those numbers add up, and if a team loses by three or less, a missed field goal is often to blame.
How well do you know the kickers across the league who have made enough kicks to earn a roster spot on all 32 NFL teams? It's not the most glamorous position, but it is one of the most important. So dive into this quiz and see how well you know the position.
Having been with the team since 2006, Adam Vinatieri is still kicking field goals for the Indianapolis Colts at the age of 46. His longevity is a major reason he holds records for career field goals made and career points.
Chris Boswell's 2017 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers was one of the best of any kicker, earning him a Pro Bowl selection. That season, he completed 92.1 percent of his field goals, including a 53 yarder that beat the Green Bay Packers as time expired in Week 12.
As of the end of the 2018 season, Justin Tucker has put over 90 percent of his field goals through the uprights. With such a high accuracy level, it's no wonder that the Baltimore Ravens have kept him secured to their roster since 2012.
Advertisement
Matt Prater holds the NFL record for the longest field goal in history, which he kicked in 2013 while playing for the Denver Broncos. The field goal, which went 64 yards, helped the Broncos get a win over the Tennessee Titans.
Brandon McManus proved his worth in the Divisional Round of the 2015 NFL Playoffs. Facing off against the Pittsburgh Steelers, McManus made five field goals to ensure the Denver Broncos advanced to the AFC Championship with a 23-16 victory.
Though the Houston Texans signed Ka'imi Fairbairn in 2016, he missed his entire first season due to an injury. The Texans didn't give up on him, however, keeping Fairbairn on the roster until he was recovered in 2017, when he took over the starting job from Nick Novak.
Advertisement
The Green Bay Packers haven't won a Super Bowl since the 2010 season, and Mason Crosby is one of the few players still on the team from that championship roster. Considering Crosby hit four extra points and a field at Super Bowl XLV, it's no wonder why the Packers have kept him around.
Brett Maher was initially brought in by the Dallas Cowboys to serve as a practice squad player to relieve some of the pressure on their starter, Dan Bailey. However, Maher outplayed Bailey leading into the start of the 2018 season, so the Cowboys went with the better leg when the season started.
Harrison Butker played his first season with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017, facing off against the Washington Redskins in his debut game. In that initial game, Butker hit two critical field goals in the fourth quarter to put the Chiefs in front as they went on to win 29-20.
Advertisement
Eddy Pineiro played his first game as a professional in 2019 against the Green Bay Packers. Though the Chicago Bears lost that contest, Pineiro did score the only points of the game, as the final score was 10-3.
Feeling the pressure of playing in a championship game during Super Bowl LII, Jake Elliott missed the first extra-point attempt of the game. However, he did make all three of his field-goal attempts, as the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New England Patriots 41-33.
Robbie Gould is a veteran kicker who's had stints with the Chicago Bears and New York Giants before joining the San Francisco 49ers in 2017. He's played his best football with the 49ers, holding a field goal percentage over 95 percent with the team.
Advertisement
Younghoe Koo has done a fair job replacing Matt Bryant, who had been with the Atlanta Falcons from 2009 through 2019. In only his first game with the Falcons, Koo made four field goals, earning him the honor of being named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
The New Orleans Saints were glad to have Wil Lutz to open the 2019 season after he starred in the Week 1 matchup against the Houston Texans. Not only did Lutz make all three of his extra points in that game, but he also hit a game-winning field goal as time ran out from 58 yards away.
In only one full NFL season, Michael Badgley is already a record-setter for the Los Angeles Chargers. He holds records for both the longest field goal in franchise history when he hit one from 59 yards and for the most field goals made in a postseason game with five.
Advertisement
In two seasons with the Buffalo Bills, Stephen Hauschka completed over 80 percent of his field-goal attempts. Believing he could continue to help them as they try to make it back to the playoffs, the Bills signed Hauschka to a two-year deal at the beginning of the 2019 season.
Prior to entering the NFL in 2019, Austin Seibert played college football at Oklahoma. He was a star for the Sooners, setting the FBS record for career points by a kicker with 499 points.
The Minnesota Vikings were having some major issues at the kicker position when they signed Dan Bailey in 2018. Bailey was only slightly better for the rest of the 2018 season, making 75 percent of his field goals, but he did enough for the Vikings to bring him back in 2019.
Advertisement
Daniel Carlson started every game as a college football kicker at Auburn University from 2014 through 2017. During that four-year span, he was named to three All-American teams and three All-SEC teams.
Josh Lambo spent his first two seasons in the NFL playing for the Chargers before they released him at the start of the 2017 season. After he was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars, Lambo faced off against his old team, where he hit a game-winning field goal in overtime to get his revenge.
Greg Zuerlein has the ability to bomb the ball with his leg, kicking an NFL record two field goals at 60 or more yards. He currently holds the Rams record for the longest field goal in franchise history at 61 yards.
Advertisement
While playing at Utah in 2017, Matt Gay set the Pac-12 Conference record for field goals in a season by making 30 of them. That season, he also became the first player from Utah to win the Lou Groza Award.
Jason Myers played the 2018 season with the New York Jets after he was claimed off waivers in August of that year. He had one of his best games of the season on October 14, 2018, when he kicked a franchise-record seven field goals to help the Jets defeat the Indianapolis Colts 42-34.
Aldrick Rosas' 2018 season was nearly perfect as he made 32 of his 33 field goals with the New York Giants. With a 97 percent completion percentage, Rosas was named to his first Pro Bowl.
Advertisement
In December of 2016, Randy Bullock had a short stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers after an injury to another kicker on the roster. Despite playing well, Bullock was released by the team when that kicker returned. Luckily, the Cincinnati Bengals saw his potential and brought him in.
Through four years in college, Zane Gonzalez made more field goals than anyone in the history of the game, setting the NCAA Division I record. During those years in college, Gonzalez was named to three All-Pac-12 teams and was once named an All-American.
After suffering an injury while playing for the Buffalo Bills, Dustin Hopkins lost his job to Dan Carpenter. Hopkins then competed for a job on the New Orleans Saints roster but was unsuccessful there as well. He eventually ended up with the Washington Redskins, where he's been since 2015.
Advertisement
Joey Slye really got to show off his leg in the 2019 NFL Preseason as he competed for a spot on the active roster for the Carolina Panthers. In the preseason, Slye nailed seven of his eight field-goal attempts with three of them coming from beyond the 50-yard mark.
Taken out of South Carolina, Ryan Succop was the final pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, earning the title Mr. Irrelevant. He went on to play all 16 games in his rookie season, completing 86.2 percent of his field-goal attempts with a season-long 53 yarder.
The New England Patriots have gone through several kickers in the 2019 season because of injuries and accuracy issues. Nick Folk was signed in October to replace Mike Nugent, who had missed several kicks in a game against the Cleveland Browns.
Advertisement
Jason Sanders played small-time college football at New Mexico, but it gave him plenty of chances to work on his craft in game-time situations. In total, Sanders played in 35 college football games before being drafted in 2018 in the seventh round.
Sam Ficken has had an up and down NFL career that's saw him compete for a roster spot on six different NFL teams. Of those teams, only two signed Ficken to the active roster with the New York Jets being the latest team.