Buffalo's Bass joins the NFL's Bigfoot stampede

His 61-yard field goal beats Miami and seems almost routine these days.

Tyler Bass

Jerry Kramer was a Pro Bowl guard for Green Bay and a best-selling author while he was still playing. He also was the placekicker. This was not unusual. Lou Groza, who became a synonym for kicking, was an offensive tackle for Cleveland. Bob Khayat kicked and played tackle for Washington. And George Blanda was a quarterback/kicker, which meant that if he didn’t convert a third down, he could clean up his own mess.

Then the position was taken over by the side-saddle soccer players, led by Pete and Charlie Gogolak, popularized by 5-foot-8 Garo Yepremian, the Cypriot who really did say he “kicked a touchdown” when he made his first extra point for Miami. Tom Dempsey, whose record 63-yard field goal in 1970 stood for 43 years, was 6-foot-2 and 255 and had no toes on his right foot. Toni Fritsch, who had scored soccer goals for Austria against England in Wembley Stadium before he kicked in Super Bowls for the Cowboys, was balding, 5-foot-7 and 190, and looked more like the team podiatrist than an actual combatant.

Look at kicking now. Kickers might not look like football players exactly, but they could pass for pro golfers or baseball pitchers. They train year-round, they lift the right weights, and they have extended the scoring zone of their sport. When they come off the bus, they’re in field goal range.

On Sunday, after the Bills and Dolphins had spent a bracing second-half in Buffalo invading each other’s end zones, it was time for Tyler Bass, the Bills’ kicker. The score was 27-27, so Bass couldn’t lose the game. But everyone in Buffalo knew that Bass had indeed lost a playoff game last year, or at least prevented the Bills from winning it, when he missed a 44-yarder against the Chiefs.

On this day Bass had already missed a field goal and an extra point. He was trying to kick a 61-yard field goal, which would be the 29th in NFL history of that distance or longer. This time he did it, and the Bills won, 30-27, to put the AFC East firmly in their glove compartment. Josh Allen, his quarterback, was almost tearful, and Sean McDermott, his coach, noted that the Bills had brought Lucas Havrisik to compete with Bass. “Tyler never backed down,” McDermott said.

Bass has now converted his last eight field goals that would have broken a tie or forced a lead change in overtime or in the fourth quarter. He is back on social media, after shutting down his account because some of the lovelier folks in Bills Mafia were threatening his life. He understands that perfection is required in his little corner of the world, occupied by kickers, closers and goaltenders. But he also has survived long enough to see his profession earn respect, through performance.

Halfway through this season, NFL kickers had made 93 of 127 field goals from 50 or more yards. Houston’s Ka’imi Fairbairn had made 10 of 12. Twenty years ago, kickers tried 53 of 91 field goals from 50 for the whole season. Ten years before that, they made 24 of 66, and five teams never tried even one. Missing a long one wasn’t worth giving up such prime field position.

Also this season, kickers are hitting 86 percent of their tries from all distances, as opposed to 80 percent in 2004.

They’re better athletically, they master the fundamentals at an earlier age, they have camps and tutors and videos, and they’re freer to practice the long ones because their coaches are increasingly bent on going for fourth-and-short when they’re closer to the goal line. Last year, Cowboys rookie Brandon Aubrey was 10-for-10 from 50 or beyond, and he’s 8-for-9 this year, including a 65-yarder.

The game? It was spectacular. Tua Tagovailoa, in his second game after his latest concussion, could not have been better. He hit 25 of 28 passes and piloted two game-tying touchdown drives in the fourth quarter, including a TD to Jaylen Waddle with 1:38 left. He and Josh Allen went deuce-and-ad until Allen couldn’t get the Bills past the Miami 43. If there was a shadow, it was Jordan Poyer’s careless hit on Buffalo’s Keon Coleman, just as the rookie was unable to convert a third-down pass from Allen. That kept Buffalo alive, and Allen needed one more conversion to get Bass within binocular range of victory. Bass did just that and earned a merit badge in Overtime Avoidance. Maybe kickers are necessary after all.

Detroit 24, Green Bay 14

— The Lions (7-1) have now won at Minnesota and Green Bay as they go about cleaning up the best division in football. They rolled to a 24-6 lead before the Packers scored with 3:49 left. Steady rain did nothing to blur Jared Goff’s vision. He completed 18 of 22 for 145 yards and now has 17 incompletions in his past five games.

– They were already in the process of taking over the game when Green Bay’s Jordan Love made a bad mistake at a bad time. The Lions had just taken a 10-3 lead late in the second quarter, and Love’s checkdown pass was picked by Kerby Joseph, who ran it in from 27 yards. It was Joseph’s sixth interception this year. Love completed 23 of 39 but didn’t throw a touchdown.

— Detroit had only seven possessions, not counting the last kneeldown, and punted four times, so it didn’t provide the usual statistical show. It also failed to sack Love and hit him only twice. But the Packers (6-3) were 1-for-4 in the red zone, with Detroit stopping Josh Jacobs on fourth-and-one from the nine-yard-line in the fourth quarter. Another key: The Lions didn’t turn it over, and have one giveaway in their past five games.

Minnesota 21, Indianapolis 13

— The Vikings remain a game behind the Lions thanks to Brian Flores’ graduate-level defense, which did not allow Indianapolis an offensive touchdown or a play longer than 22 yards. They had three sacks of Joe Flacco. Minnesota (6-2) also held the ball for more than 36 minutes and held the Colts (4-5) to one possession in the third quarter.

—  Grover Stewart sacked Sam Darnold and forced a fumble that Kenny Moore took for a touchdown, which gave the Colts a 7-0 lead. Donald also threw a couple of interceptions but was 28 for 34 and threw touchdown passes to Jalen Nailor, Josh Oliver and Jordan Addison. In between, Justin Jefferson caught seven balls for 137 yards. Minnesota had a season-high seven explosive plays, which was also a high for any Colts’ opponent.

— Indy’s quarterback riddle went another week without an answer as Flacco only managed 179 yards and threw a pick. The Colts’ offense never even got to the red zone and converted only 3 of 11 third downs.

L.A. Chargers 27, Cleveland 10

— The Chargers (5-3) still haven’t allowed anyone to score more than 20 points in a game and, on this occasion, had three interceptions and six sacks of Jameis Winston. They held Nick Chubb to 79 yards on 24 carries and held Cleveland (2-7) to one explosive play while their own offense was generating seven. New defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, who came to L.A. from Michigan with Jim Harbaugh, might be on a head-coaching path.

— Tuli Tuipulotu had two and a half sacks for the Chargers, and Daiyan Henley, an L.A. native who was a third-round pick from Washington State in 2023, was in on 13 tackles. Rookie Tarheeb Still got his first interception, and Alohi Gilman and Elijah Molden each got one, too. They all take the pressure off the celebrated Derwin James and Khalil Mack.

— Justin Herbert set the tone with a 66-yard touchdown to Quintin Johnston in the second quarter. The Browns had one field goal and five punts in their first half possessions.

Philadelphia 28, Jacksonville 23

— The Jaguars (2-7) were down 22-0 but kept coming in the second half, and when Josh Elliott’s 57-yard field goal missed, they had a short field and an unexpected chance. Needing a touchdown to win, Trevor Lawrence got a first down on the Philly 13 with 1:42 left. Then his end zone pass got pilfered by Nakobe Dean, and the Eagles walked off with their fourth consecutive win since their bye week.

— The game will be known for Saquan Barkley’s spin move and astounding reverse hurdle that took him past Jacksonville’s Jarrian Jones. Barkley caught a touchdown pass and ran for another score, rolling up 159 yards in 27 carries. But Travon Walker recovered his fumble and returned it 35 yards for a TD, cutting the lead to 22-16.

— Jalen Hurts converted nine of 17 third downs and the Eagles (6-2) ran 22 more plays than did Jacksonville. DeVonta Smith made a neat one-handed touchdown catch, but his partner A.J. Brown left after only two catches with a knee injury.

Arizona 29, Chicago 9

— A hailstorm forced the Cardinals (5-4) to close the roof of their stadium, and another storm of cluck-clucking awaited the Bears when they got back to Chicago. With 12 seconds left in the half, they watched Emeri Demercado take a draw play 53 yards for a touchdown that put Arizona ahead, 21-9. The Bears (4-4) had five first downs in a scoreless second half.

—  The Cardinals sacked Caleb Williams six times and, with the exception of a 44-yard pass to Rome Odunze, kept him contained. Zaven Collins had two of the sacks for a defense that hit Williams 12 times. It’s the fourth win in five games for the 5-4 Cardinals, who lead the NFC West by a game and have wins over the Rams and 49ers.

— Williams tried to get the ball to Keenan Allen 10 times but Allen caught only four passes. On the other side, the Bears were gashed for 107 rushing yards by James Conner, as the Cardinals ran for 213.

Baltimore 41, Denver 10

– It was one of those performances by Baltimore that makes you wonder why anyone else bothers. Lamar Jackson had a perfect passer rating, Derrick Henry had 106 yards and secured his sixth 1,000-yard season, and Zay Flowers had his third 100-yard receiving game in his last five.

— The Ravens (6-3) did all this against a Denver defense that had given up 20 points only twice. Jackson’s 158.3 rating was the first time an opposing QB had reached 100, and Denver (5-4) gave up a season-high six explosive plays and four red-zone touchdowns.

–  Jackson was 16 for 19 with 280 yards, and the Ravens scored touchdowns on four consecutive possessions at one point. Tavius Robinson had four quarterback hits for Baltimore and two sacks. Robinson is from Guelph, Ontario and played high school football there before he came to Ole Miss and was a fourth-round pick in 2023.

L.A. Rams 26, Seattle 20 (OT)

— The Rams (4-4) have won three consecutive games and are squarely in a 4-team scrum for the NFC West. You have to keep from losing sometimes before you can win, and Bobby Brown and Omar Speights did the former when they stopped Kenneth Walker on fourth-and-one at the Rams’ 16 in overtime. It was Walker’s fourth consecutive run in the series. Matthew Stafford took over and got the Rams into the end zone four plays later, on a 39-yard pass to Demarcus Robinson.

— The Seahawks had nine explosive plays and didn’t win. The Rams had seven sacks and had to go to overtime. They also had two picks from rookie Kamren Kinchens, who took one of them 103 yards for a go-ahead touchdown. Kinchens is a third-round pick from Miami and a product of the legendary Miami Northwestern High program. 

— Seattle (4-5) had tied it on Geno Smith’s 14-yard touchdown to Jaxon Smith-Njigba with :57 left. That drive began with a 14-yard sack by Rams’ rookie Braden Fiske, but Smith converted the 2nd-and-24 with a 28-yard pass to Cody White. With DK Metcalf out, Smith-Njigba caught seven for 180 yards. Still, the Seahawks have lost four of their last five.

Washington 27, N.Y. Giants 22

— The Giants trailed 21-7 but rallied to within 27-22 and could have tied it if Daniel Jones hadn’t been sacked on the 2-point try. Now Washington (7-2) had to kill the last 2:48 to raise its record to 7-2. Jayden Daniels took care of that on the second play with a 42-yard pass to Orinde Zaccheaus, and then a face mask penalty on the Giants’ D.J. Davidson moved the ball to the New York 11. A third-and-one conversion by Chris Rodriguez wrapped it up.

— Rodriguez, a sixth-round pick in 2023 from Kentucky, got 11 carries for 52 yards in the second half. Daniels, who began his career with no interceptions in the first three weeks, hasn’t thrown one in his past four games. Except for the fourth quarter kneeldown, Washington scored on five of its seven possessions.

— The Giants (2–7) didn’t sack Daniels and only hit him twice. Jones supervised TD drives of 80 and 76 yards in the fourth quarter, which included a 35-yard score to Theo Johnson. Jones was 20 for 26 and had a 100-plus passer rating for the third consecutive week.

Atlanta 27, Dallas 21

— The Cowboys (3–5) couldn’t get on the plane fast enough after this one. Dak Prescott left with a hamstring injury. CeeDee Lamb played in obvious shoulder pain, but still caught a 2-point conversion at the end from Cooper Rush. Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence were out again. They still gave themselves a chance with an onside kick, but Atlanta’s Kyle Pitts recovered.

— The Falcons went to 6-3 with Kirk Cousins on point, going 19 for 24 with three touchdowns. They used four straight runs at the end of a 66-yard drive, with Tyler Allgeier bulling across for the 6-yard score and a 14-point lead. Darnell Mooney continued to impress, with five catches, 88 yards and a score. Cousins has had consecutive passer ratings of 144.8 and 145.9.

– Atlanta had only six sacks before Sunday  but dumped Prescott three times. Kaden Ellis and Arnold Ebiketie hit Dallas quarterbacks three times apiece.

N.Y. Jets 21, Houston 13

— No matter how dark Aaron Rodgers’ days might seem in New York, he wakes up knowing he’s throwing footballs to Garrett Wilson, and that is not so bad. Wilson caught a 21-yard touchdown in the third quarter, but with 12:54 left he soared for a one-handed grab that became a 26-yard touchdown and put the Jets ahead. Rodgers found Davante Adams for a 37-yard score later as the Jets raised their record to 3-6 and beat a winning team for the first time.

— Wilson and Adams were targeted 21 times and caught 16 passes for a total of 191 yards. Houston’s C.J. Stroud could only look on with envy, when he wasn’t running for safety. Missing Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins, Stroud was 11-for-30 and, if not for a 50-yarder to Tank Dell, threw for only 141 yards. He had to run eight times and was sacked eight times, and Houston’s only touchdown drive was a 98-yarder in the second quarter.

— Joe Mixon had his fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing game (24 for 106) for Houston, which is 6-3 and has a 2-game AFC South lead. The Texans played much of the game without pass-rusher deluxe Will Anderson, who hurt an ankle. For the Jets, Rodgers has thrown five touchdown passes without an interception in his past two games.

Cincinnati 41, Las Vegas 24

— Joe Burrow threw five touchdown passes but he might not have been the most important Bengal. Trey Hendrickson turned in four sacks and was credited with seven quarterback hits. He has 11 sacks for the season, which puts him on a pace to break the NFL record of 22 ½, and has 50 ½ in 57 games for Cincinnati (4-5).

— Burrow hit 27 of 39 passes and got help from different sources. Chase Brown ran for 120 yards in 27 carries and tight end Mike Gesicki led the receivers with five catches for 100 yards and two scores. But Hendrickson & Co. ran quarterback Gardner Minshew out of the game and harassed his replacement, Desmond Ridder.

— The Raiders (2-7) had their usual turnover problems, losing two fumbles, and were held to 219 total yards. They scored touchdowns on their first and final possessions. In between, they had nine possessions and managed three points.

Tennessee 20, New England 17 (OT)

— In a battle for self-esteem and draft position, the Titans got a sack fumble and recovery from Arden Key with 7:03 left in the fourth. Mason Rudolph turned it into a TD pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and a 17-17 lead. But Patriots’ rookie Drake Maye bobbed and weaved for 11 remarkable seconds and flipped a scoring pass to Rhamondre Stevenson from five yards out to create overtime. After the Titans (2-6) kicked a field goal, Malik Hooker intercepted Maye for the second time to end it, somewhat mercifully.

— Maye, who was knocked out of last week’s game, hit 29 of 41 passes, but the longest completion was 21 yards. He was better with his feet, coming up with a 26-yard run and going 95 yards on eight carries. He was also sacked four times and hit nine times as the Patriots slumped to 2-7.

— Mason Rudolph has become a viable NFL quarterback and went 20-for-33 with two touchdown passes. But what would Dallas give to have Tony Pollard back? He signed with Tennessee as a free agent and had his best game, with 128 yards on 28 tries.

Carolina 23, New Orleans 22

— Until the Saints won the Super Bowl in 2009, their contribution to NFL lore was the paper bag, used as headgear. Fans of these Saints are ready to bring it all back home. New Orleans had two possessions to expand a 22-17 lead in the fourth quarter but penalties forced punts on both. Then Demario Davis was whistled for pass interference on Carolina’s last drive, and Chuba Hubbard ran it in from 16 yards with 2:14 left.

— Charles Harris sacked Derek Carr on the final possession and the Panthers improved to 2-7. It was also the second win in two years for Bryce Young, the first-overall pick in 2023 who had been benched in favor of Andy Dalton. Young went 16 for 26 for 171 yards. Eight of his completions went to rookies Xavier Legette and Ja’Tavion Sanders.

— The Saints (2-7) scored over 40 points in each of the first two weeks, both wins. Alvin Kamara had 155 rushing yards and caught six passes for 60, but the Saints lost receiver Chris Olave (concussion).

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