With his team down 24-3 with four seconds left in the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers' kicker Chase McLaughlin made history. Prior to the game, his longest field goal made during warm-ups was a 58-yarder and his career-long was from 57. The Eagles called their third and final timeout in an attempt to ice McLaughlin, but to no avail. On the suffocating sticky day in Tampa Florida following a precise snap and hold, McLaughlin let it rip with just enough velocity for the football to fly over the crossbar as the Buccaneers' sideline erupted in cheers. That singular moment shifted the momentum to Tampa Bay, which spurred the second-half comeback bid.
"Honestly, I didn't even see the kick – I just saw the reaction of the returner," described McLaughlin. "I saw him look to his left, our right, so I actually thought it missed. Then, I saw some of our guys turning around and holding up their arms. But, I really just trust the snap and the hold – Evan [Deckers] and Riley [Dixon] have done a great job all season, so I knew the snap and hold were going to be there, so, just execute."
McLaughlin went 3-for-3 on field goal tries in Week Four, converting from 42, 58, and 65 yards out. McLaughlin's 65-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter established a new Buccaneers franchise record for the longest made field goal and became tied for the second-longest made field goal in NFL history. The stunning kick is the longest outdoor field goal made in league history.
Tom Dempsey is touted for kicking a 63-yard field goal as time expired to give the Saints a win over the Lions in 1970 at Tulane Stadium. He was the only kicker to make a kick of more than sixty yards prior to the relocation of the goal posts and his record was tied by Jason Elam in 1998, Sebastian Janikowski in 2011 and by David Akers in 2012. In 2021, Justin Tucker broke that record for the Ravens with a 66-yard field goal as time ran out to beat Detroit. McLaughlin's kick may not have punctuated a win at the buzzer but his kick was not made in a climate-controlled indoor stadium and he dealt with the full elements of a stifling humid day in Tampa Bay, making it perhaps the most impressive kick in league annals.
McLaughlin became just the fourth player in NFL record books to ever have multiple field goal makes of 58-plus yards in the same game, and only the second player ever to accomplish the feat outdoors. McLaughlin is tied for the NFL lead in field goal makes of 50-plus yards (four) and field goal makes of 60-plus yards (one). He has not missed a field goal from 50-plus yards this season. In his career, McLaughlin is 36-of-43 (83.7%) on field goal tries from 50-plus yards out, the best mark in NFL history among kickers with at least 40 such attempts.
"For him to get that huge kick right before the half, it was big," said Lavonte David via the Players’ Table Show. "It showed we had a little more points on the board and we inched closer and closer. Earlier in the year he was struggling a little bit or whatever the case may be, but he has that resilient mindset and resilient attitude and Chase is one of the guys. So, I know what he is capable of and he redeemed himself yesterday for sure. 65 yards, I have never seen or been a part of anything like that in my 14-year career. For me to witness that, that was amazing to see how pinpoint it went and the ball went straight. I thought it was short but then they put their arms up."
