Lions kicker almost breaks NFL record on 67-yard field goal try: Here's how close Jake Bates came to making it

The Detroit Lions pulled off an impressive 38-30 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night and although most people don't focus too much on missed field goals after a team wins, we're going to do that right now because Lions kicker Jake Bates came shockingly close to making NFL history. 

During the final seconds of the first half, the Lions had the ball at Baltimore's 48-yard line. With just two seconds on the clock, the Lions only had enough time to run one play, so coach Dan Campbell had two options: He could have Jared Goff throw a Hail Mary or he could let Bates try to attempt a record-setting 67-yard field goal. 

Former Ravens star Justin Tucker holds the NFL record for longest field goal at 66 yards. 

Cambell ended up sending out his kicker and Bates almost made history. Here's how close he came to breaking Tucker's record: 

The kick appeared to have the distance by a foot or two, but it ended up missing to the left. From the television angles, it's tough to tell just how close Bates came to hitting the field goal, but one fan at the game shared an alternate angle of the kick on social media that offers a lot more detail. 

In the video below, you'll notice three things: 

1. At the 16-second mark, a fan yells "Oh my God," because it's pretty clear he just realized that the kick has a chance to go in.
2. The fans in the stadium all get quiet as the ball travels through the air because they ALL seem to realize that it might go in. 
3. The fans don't cheer until the ball hits the ground. 

It's tough to track the ball in this video, but it appears to hit the ground near the back of the white end line. 

Here's another alternate angle from Jonas Shaffer of the Baltimore Banner. Although it's difficult to track the football, it appears that the kick did have JUST enough distance on it, but of course, it went left. 

If Bates had made the kick, it would have broken a the NFL record for longest field goal, a mark that's currently held by Tucker. The former Ravens kicker drilled a 66-yard field goal back in 2021 in a game that actually came against the Lions. 

Tucker's record-breaking kick came on Sept. 26, 2021, and since then, there have only been four field goal attempts of 67 yards or longer in the NFL, including the one by Bates. 

Let's take a quick look at the three prior attempts that would have topped Tucker's record. 

Nov. 27, 2022: Tucker tried a 67-yarder on the final play of a 28-27 loss to the Jaguars, but came up about 2 yards short. 

Dec. 1, 2024: Last season, former Patriots kicker Joey Slye attempted a 68-yarder on the final play in a 25-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, and the kicker actually CAME CLOSE to making it. 

Dec. 15, 2024: In September 2024, Brandon Aubrey hit the second-longest field goal in NFL history with a 65-yarder against the Ravens. Three months later, the Cowboys gave him a chance to hit a 70-yarder against the Panthers, but his kick went way left. 

Back in August, Jacksonville's Cam Little did hit a 70-yard field goal in a preseason game, but preseason kicks don't count toward the NFL record. 

With Bates' miss, Tucker's record has survived for another week, but it now only seems like a matter of time before it gets broken. 

Although Bates didn't break Tucker's NFL record, he did have a solid game. He hit five extra points along with a 45-yard field goal. He also saved a touchdown when he tackled Baltimore's Rasheen Ali on a kickoff return midway through the second quarter. 

The Ravens didn't end up getting any points on that drive, so Bates' tackle ended up being one of the biggest plays of the game.