Those that snub Father Time prefer to say that fifty is the brand new 30. A special Father — Benedictine priest Maximilian Maxwell— sprinkled holy water in the long run zone earlier than his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers took on the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday with the AFC North title on the road.
Fifty is the brand new 30 additionally applies to subject targets. Greater than 70% of kicks over 50 yards are profitable lately, a dramatic improve in accuracy from solely 5 years in the past. Excuse Maxwell for considering divine intervention may be essential ought to a last-second missed kick decide the end result.
A 44-yarder is a chip shot for many NFL kickers, together with Ravens rookie Tyler Loop, who had made 90% of his makes an attempt — together with eight of eight from 40-49 yards — when the ball was snapped with three seconds to play and Baltimore trailing 26-24.
Two phrases coined when Scott Norwood missed a 47-yard try that price the Buffalo Payments Tremendous Bowl XXV in 1991 as soon as once more had been screamed on a tv broadcast: “Vast proper!”
One other memorable miss got here from a kicker thought to be one of the best within the NFL 20-some years in the past. Brash, outspoken Mike Vanderjagt of the Indianapolis Colts led the league in scoring in 1999 and 4 years later grew to become the primary kicker in historical past to make each kick in a full season: 83 of 83 on subject targets and further factors.
But he botched a boot with 21 seconds to play throughout a playoff recreation in 2006, enabling the Steelers to upset the Colts. Pittsburgh went on to win the Tremendous Bowl and Vanderjagt was changed by Adam Vinatieri. He by no means regained his kind.
Right here’s hoping Loop rebounds higher than Vanderjagt or Norwood, who was launched a yr after the historic miss and by no means performed once more. Loop was All Pac-12 in 2023 at Arizona, the place he holds information for longest subject objective (62 yards) and success fee (83.75%). He was the Wildcats’ GOAT earlier than changing into the Ravens’ goat.
Loop, 24, didn’t duck the media, leaving the impression that he received’t let this failure outline him.
“Simply wish to say I’m tremendous grateful to Baltimore, the group and town, simply how they embraced me this yr has been unbelievable,” he mentioned. “Only for it to finish like that, sucks, and I wish to do higher.
“Sadly, the character of the job is you’ve gotten makes, and people are superior, and sadly, you’ve gotten misses, and for that to occur tonight sucks.”
The specialised nature of kickers can place them on the periphery of workforce bonding, however Loop’s teammates and coaches had been supportive within the aftermath of the season-ending loss.
Coach John Harbaugh walked alongside Loop from the sector to the locker room, with his arm round his again comforting him. Quarterback Lamar Jackson downplayed the impression, telling reporters, “He’s a rookie, . It’s all good. Simply depart it prior to now.”
Solely time will inform whether or not Loop can just do that.
