Little nailed a 70-yarder<\/a> to end the first half, a kick that would have broken the NFL record had it happened during the regular season.<\/p>\nLittle and the Jaguars celebrated widely as the half ended with the Steelers leading 14-9. Holder Logan Cooke lifted both arms shortly after the ball took flight. Little leaned forward a little and then raised an arm when \u201cLogan\u2019s eyes got really big\u201d and it was obviously official.<\/p>\n
Cooke pushed Little to start the party, and then rookie sensation Travis Hunter greeted Little on the field with a midair body-bump.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019re necessarily going to be kicking 70-yarders in the first quarter or anything like that,\u201d Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. \u201cBut unbelievable to see him make that. That\u2019s huge, especially in those two-minute drills. If you can get him near the 50, you got a really good shot. Having a guy like that is a weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Baltimore\u2019s Justin Tucker holds the NFL mark, having made a 66-yarder at Detroit in 2021. Eight kickers have attempted 70-yarders in the regular season, and all of them failed.<\/p>\n
Little\u2019s appeared as though it would have been good from nearly 75 yards; it cleared the bar by enough that the ball boy caught it cleanly.<\/p>\n
A sixth-round draft pick from Arkansas in 2024, Little made 27 of 29 field-goal attempts as a rookie and all 27 extra points. His long was 59 yards, which tied Josh Scobee\u2019s franchise record. Scobee, coincidentally, was at the exhibition game but told Little he missed it because he went to the bathroom.<\/p>\n
Little still hadn\u2019t even seen a replay of the kick even a half hour after the game ended. His phone was blowing up with congratulatory messages and voicemails, so many that was already apologizing for not being able to respond to them all.<\/p>\n
He already had one response ready \u2014 for anyone asking for the ball. He\u2019s keeping it, even if the Pro Football Hall of Fame calls.<\/p>\n
\u201cHeck, yeah,\u201d he said. \u201cAre you kidding me. … That ball is staying with me. Canton, Ohio, can get another ball.\u201d<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
AP NFL: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/nfl<\/a><\/p>\n