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The Baltimore Ravens were on the cusp of defeat at the hands of the Detroit Lions late in the fourth quarter when kicker Justin Tucker broke the NFL record and took the football world by storm with an incredible 66-yard field goal. The previous field goal record in the league was 64 yards by Matt Prater in 2013. With three seconds left in the game and the Ravens down, Tucker mustered enough strength to strike the ball with great precision to hand Ravens a 19-17 win over the Lions on Sunday.
Interestingly, when Tucker kicked the ball, it was in the center of the goalposts, but was losing altitude. The ball doinked off the crossbar and rotated in for a score right in front of hundreds of Detroit fans. Tucker's record-setting kick completed Ravens' brilliant comeback win and became a topic of discussion in the NFL community.
How the NFL world reacted to Tucker's record-breaking kick
Fans and teammates alike were showering the kicker with praise, as he deserved. Tucker has been one of the biggest clutch kickers in the NFL over the last decade. Which other kicker nails 60-yard field goals as a warmup before games? There's nobody like Tucker in the league. When it comes time for him to hang up his cleats, there should be a bust of his leg in the Hall of Fame as a first-ballot player.
Notably, Tucker's record-breaking kick wasn't the only attempt the league witnessed on Sunday. Matt Prater, the previous record-holder, came close to setting a new record but fell short after a failed attempt from 68 yards. Prater's kick was identical to Tucker's but lacked precision. Jamal Agnew of the Jacksonville Jaguars was able to return the missed kick 109 yards for a TD to end the first half. Agnew's return tied the record for longest play in NFL history, though.
Tucker's 66-yard field goal was the largest attempt of his career and only his second successful field goal from 60-plus yards. He missed a 65-yard attempt in 2018 and nailed his previous career-best 61-yard field goal in 2013 against Sunday's opponents Detroit Lions.
It seemed as if Prater officially passed the torch to Tucker on Sunday.
