The NFL kickers are currently making positive headlines. Jason Myers of the Seattle Seahawks and Matt Prater of the Detroit Lions are responsible for historic field goals, with more attempts than ever before from 50 and more yards between poles.

The ball was on the logo of the Los Angeles Rams when Jason Myers was taking measurements.

A total of 61 yards separated the Seattle Seahawks kicker from the pole in the SoFi stadium. Myers took a quick look, took three quick steps and then sent the egg on its long journey with his right foot.

Barely three seconds later, the ball just about lowered itself over the crossbar. Myers was almost a bit incredulous about the successful attempt, which wrote history as the longest field goal in the history of the Seahawks Club. The shot also meant a new personal best for the 29-year-old.

6️⃣1️⃣ YARDS!! @JayMy_31 makes a career-best field goal, and sets a new #Seahawks franchise record.

📺: #SEAvsLAR on FOX pic.twitter.com/OvyAKnhsUE

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) November 15, 2020

Record man Matt Prater continues to show strong shooting
“Just a boy from San Diego living his dream with his friends,” Myers wrote to Instragram about the images of his longest successful shot yet.

In fact, the Seahawks kicker also secured his place among the elite of the most powerful kickers in NFL history. Only 23 field goals were converted from 60 or more yards in the NFL. Four times three points were scored from 62 yards, six times from 63 yards.

The sole record is held by Matt Prater, who on December 8, 2013 as a Denver Broncos kicker took advantage of the thin air in the Mile High Stadium and sank the ball from 64 yards.

Prater, now 36 years old and under contract with the Detroit Lions, has still not lost any of his shooting power. Last weekend he shot the Lions from 59 yards to victory, securing fourth place in the list of the longest game winning field goals.

For Prater, it was the eleventh game winner in his career with an expired clock or in overtime, which also means fourth place in the NFL lists.

The week before, the Lions kicker scored from 53 yards, bringing the total to 57 field goals from a distance of 50 yards or more. Two successful shots from more than 50 yards are still missing Prater to overtake the now retired Sebastian Janikowski, who leads the NFL in this ranking.

More field goals from 50+ yards than ever before
In fact, Myers and Prater are not alone with their good performances, the NFL kickers are on record course overall. Never before have so many field goals from 50 or more yards been scored as this season. There are already 71 after ten matchdays, “Pro Football Talk” calculated that at the end of the Regular Season 124 field goals from 50+ yards could have been scored.

A look back in the NFL history proves how extraordinary this is. In the 1960 season there were only five field goals in the entire season that were scored from more than 50 yards. The other numbers according to “Pro Football Talk”:

1970: 17

1980: 23

1990: 28

2000: 38

2010: 59

So the NFL kickers are continuously improving. What was still an extraordinary event 60 years ago is now part of almost every game day. The kickers should be pleased that they are currently writing positive headlines, especially when you think of all the dramas of the last few years.

Walsh and Parkey with fateful misses
There was Blair Walsh, for example, who put the potential game winner from 27 yards next to the poles in the 2016 Wild Card Game for the Minnesota Vikings against the Seattle Seahawks. The following season he missed eight of nine tries and was fired.

The Seahawks, of all people, signed Walsh, but even in Seattle the kicker couldn’t hit a barn door. The story is legendary, when he put six tries in a row next to the poles during the warm-up at half-time.

Or think of Cody Parkey, whose legendary “Double Doink” in the 2019 Wild Card Game against the Philadelphia Eagles ended the season of the Chicago Bears. After a total of eleven misses during the season, Parkey was dismissed by the Bears.

One could add some more names to the list of these tragic heroes.

DOUBLE DOINK!#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/F4bJ4ANUuq

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 7, 2019

Jason Myers: From missed shooter to hero
For example, the one by Jason Myers. In October 2017, he was fired from the Jacksonville Jaguars after three long field goal attempts in a game against the Rams.

Almost exactly a year ago, he missed two attempts against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Seahawks jersey, including a possible game winner.

This season Myers has been flawless in the Field Goals so far, only missing one extra point. Last November’s missed shooter is this fall’s celebrated record man, which sums up the whole drama of the kickers in football well.

Because the kickers are permanently in a situation comparable to the penalty shootout in soccer. There is only success or failure, nothing in between. And in both sports it is often only centimeters that decide about luck and misfortune.

Jason Myers knows a thing or two about this.