Sunday, Nov. 20 was a landmark day in the NFL for spectacular failure. A grand total of 12 extra points were missed by kickers, shattering a mark that stood since 1985, matching one that stood firm since 1966. It’s the most XPs missed since the NFL merger in 1970.
NFL kickers missed a record-breaking 12 extra points this week
It’s the most since the NFL merger!
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Hitting XPs has been decidedly more difficult since the NFL elected to move the distance back 10 yards in 2015 and we’ve seen the effects every week. No longer are XPs gimmes, but that still doesn’t explain professional kickers missing 12 of them in one day.
Things got started in New York, where Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould and Connor Barth of the Giants missed back-to-back extra points on the first two drives of the game. Things around the league went downhill from there.
The co-winners of the screw-up derby were Cincinnati Bengals kicker Mike Nugent and the Detroit Lions’ Matt Prater — both of whom missed two extra points on the day. In total, nine teams participated in the kicking derby.
Prior to Sunday the record stood firm for 21 years at 10 missed extra points. That record has been tied multiple times in past years, but the 1985 mark was the most recent time we’d seen this many missed extra points.
The mark of 11, accomplished during the late afternoon games, tied a record that has stood since 1966. The 12th missed kick, from Dustin Hopkins of Washington on Sunday Night Football, set a new high mark.
Shout out to the history makers. May their names echo in heroic song.
Mike Nugent (Bengals): 2 missed extra points.
Robbie Gould (Giants): 2 missed extra points.
Matt Prater (Lions): 1 missed extra point.
Kai Forbath (Vikings): 1 missed extra point.
Connor Barth (Bears): 1 missed extra point.
Steven Gostkowski (Patriots): 1 missed extra point.
Steven Hauschka (Seahawks): 1 missed extra point.
Jason Myers (Jaguars): 1 missed extra point.
Cody Parkey (Browns): 1 missed extra point.
Dustin Hopkins (Washington): 1 missed extra point.
Here’s the moment history was made, thanks to a block in Seahawks-Eagles.
And here’s Hopkins’ missed kick, which established a new NFL record.
What an age to be alive.
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