The Detroit Lions led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 21-9, with 10:18 left in the fourth quarter. They sent kicker Jake Bates out onto the field to attempt a 58-yard field goal instead of trying to draw the defense offside before inevitably punting. He made Lions history.
The football ‘doinked' off the right upright. Detroit, though, still made out with three points after the doink proved beneficial to the kick's chances of conversion. The score held for the remainder of Monday night's game, leaving the Lions victorious by a 24-9 margin.
Detroit advanced to 5-2 on the season with the win, with the 4-1-1 Packers still atop the NFC North. Bates' field goal was the third of his career from 58, or more, yards out, per Lions PR. Most notably, he became the first kicker in Detroit's franchise history to make two field goals in one season from that far.
Bates' first make from that distance was also from 58 yards out. He extended the Lions' lead over the Cleveland Browns to 20-7 in their Week 4 home victory.
The 26-year-old kicker has a career journey fit for Hollywood. He was released by the Houston Texans 12 days after they signed him as an undrafted free agent, leading him to believe his NFL career ended before it had started.
Bates became a brick salesman before he was signed to the UFL. After setting league records, he earned an opportunity with the Lions. As a rookie, he went 26-29 on field goals in his first year in Detroit. In his second season, he is 7-9 on field goal attempts through seven weeks of action. He improved to 2-4 from 50+ yards out with Monday night's record-setting boot.
The Lions attempt relatively few field goals compared to the rest of the league. Their analytical approach often leads to aggressive fourth-down attempts. Detroit kicked the 26th-most field goals last season and ran the fourth-most plays on fourth downs. It is clear that head coach Dan Campbell trusts Bates when they need the points, though. Monday night gave him even more reason to.
