The Detroit Lions’ Bates has led the NFL in extra points in each of his two seasons in the league, but has yet to join the 60-yard club, falling just short with a long of 59. Two-time Super Bowl champion Butker, however, has twice hit from that distance, recording makes of 62 and 60 yards for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Dallas Cowboys’ Aubrey, on the other foot, has quickly become known for his long-distance dialing. In just three seasons — all of them Pro Bowl campaigns — the long leg of the west has converted a league all-time record of six 60-plus-yard field goals. It seemed inevitable that he would break Justin Tucker‘s 66-yard record set in 2021, but it was the Little big leg who garnered history.
Trailing, 6-0, against a struggling Raiders team, Little rallied the Jaguars with his 68-yard make at Allegiant Stadium with no time left in the first half. He made two more field goals in the game and, fittingly, hit an extra point in overtime that stood as the game-winner.
“We needed to put three points on the board,” said Little, who also had the second-longest FG in history last year at 67 yards. “No, it was a long one, but I was excited about it.”
Little, a 2024 sixth-round pick out of Arkansas, was more confident in his leg strength than he was getting a chance to show it. Practice and pregame are most often the time for kickers to flex their might.
“You do in practice a lot but you never know when you’re gonna get an opportunity in a game, so it was honestly just a blessing to get the opportunity,” he said.