With his team down 24-3 with four seconds left in the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ kicker Chase McLaughlin made history. Prior to the game, his longest field goal made during warm-ups was a 58-yarder and his career-long was from 57. The Eagles called their third and final timeout in an attempt to ice McLaughlin, but to no avail. On the suffocating sticky day in Tampa Florida following a precise snap and hold, McLaughlin let it rip with just enough velocity for the football to fly over the crossbar as the Buccaneers’ sideline erupted in cheers. That singular moment shifted the momentum to Tampa Bay, which spurred the second-half comeback bid.
“Honestly, I didn’t even see the kick – I just saw the reaction of the returner,” described McLaughlin. “I saw him look to his left, our right, so I actually thought it missed. Then, I saw some of our guys turning around and holding up their arms. But, I really just trust the snap and the hold – Evan [Deckers] and Riley [Dixon] have done a great job all season, so I knew the snap and hold were going to be there, so, just execute.”
McLaughlin went 3-for-3 on field goal tries in Week Four, converting from 42, 58, and 65 yards out. McLaughlin’s 65-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter established a new Buccaneers franchise record for the longest made field goal and became tied for the second-longest made field goal in NFL history. The stunning kick is the longest outdoor field goal made in league history.