Super Bowl kickers break Buffalo Bills 30 years record

For 30 years, a Buffalo Bills player had the record for the longest field goal made in a Super Bowl. Until Sunday.

In Super Bowl LVIII, San Francisco 49ers kicker Jake Moody connected on a 55-yard field goal in the first quarter, giving his side an early 3-0 lead over the Kansas City Chiefs.

It shattered Bills kicker Steve Christie’s record for the longest field goal in a Super Bowl, which he nailed 54 yards in 1994’s Super Bowl XXVIII. It was a high point for Buffalo, who lost the Super Bowl to the Dallas Cowboys 30-13, setting a record for the fourth consecutive loss.

However, Moody’s reign was far shorter than Christie’s.

Harrison Butker, the Chiefs’ kicker, attempted a 57-yard field goal in the second half. The kick was low but made it past the uprights, cutting the 49ers’ lead to 10-6.

 

According to CBS, Moody and Butker became the first kickers in an NFL championship game to attempt a 54-yard or longer field goal since Seattle Seahawks kicker Josh Brown missed one in Super Bowl XL. No one had attempted such a distance since Christie established the record. Prior to Sunday, all kickers in NFL history have scored only 46.7% of successful field goals from 50 yards or longer in the Super Bowl.

The Chiefs eventually won the game, 25-22, in overtime. It was Kansas City’s second consecutive Super Bowl triumph, and the third under quarterback Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid.

According to CBS, Moody still holds a Super Bowl record. The rookie from Michigan also hit a 53-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, becoming the first football player to make two of goals of 50 yards or more in the same Super Bowl.