Cam Little nearly turned halftime into history on Sunday.
The Jaguars kicker, who already owns the NFL record for the longest field goal, was sent out for a 70-yard try just before the break against the Patriots and missed by only inches. With three seconds left in the first half and Jacksonville at its own 48-yard line, coach Liam Coen had a choice: let Trevor Lawrence launch a Hail Mary or give Little the chance to do something no one had done in an NFL game.
Coen didn’t hesitate. Little had already drilled the two longest field goals in league history last season - 68 and 67 yards - so Jacksonville rolled the dice on the record-breaking kick. This time, the ball stayed just short.
Little has already shown he can do it in a game setting, at least in the preseason. He hit a 70-yarder last year, though preseason kicks don’t count toward the NFL record. On Sunday, he came agonizingly close to doing it for real.
That miss made it only the ninth time in NFL history that a 70-yard field goal has even been attempted. The last try before this came in December 2024, when Brandon Aubrey missed a 70-yard attempt for the Cowboys.
Little’s place in the record book is already secure. He set the NFL mark last November with a 68-yarder against the Raiders, breaking Justin Tucker’s previous record of 66 yards.
The longer range of these attempts isn’t happening by accident. The NFL’s new K-ball rule, introduced last season, gives each team 60 kicking footballs at the start of the year so they can be broken in before game use.
Since those balls can be used in practice, they get softened up over time, and teams can also use a brush to rub down the bumps on the football. A broken-in ball flies better, and a smoother surface helps kickers strike it cleaner.
That shift has Little thinking even bigger. He has said a 70-yarder is coming, and he believes 75 yards is possible too. He discussed that idea this summer with Bengals kicker Evan McPherson.
"It's funny because I was talking with Cam Little about that this summer, and I was like, 'What do you think the max is?' And he said 75 in a game," McPherson said, via the Bengals' website.
"He thinks 75. Somebody will hit 75.
And then I'm sitting there thinking there's no way. And then you sit back and look at [Harrison] Butker's 69 in preseason.
That was good from at least 75."
As McPherson pointed out, Harrison Butker has already hit a 69-yarder in the preseason, and Little’s own 70-yard preseason make only adds to the sense that a 70-yard kick in a real NFL game is no longer some wild outlier.
In Other News...
Trevor Lawrence Gave Jaguars Fans One Strange Moment To Debate
Trevor Lawrences strong Sunday helped the Jaguars put the Patriots away in a 35-6 rout, with the quarterback finishing 19 of 29 for 182 yards and three touchdowns. Jacksonville had control for most of the afternoon, and New England never found much rhythm as Drake Mayes turnovers piled up in a difficult start to the season.
Still, the most debated moment may have come late, when Lawrence dropped to a knee at the 1-yard line and left plenty of fans trying to figure out the logic behind it. The Jaguars were long past needing style points, but the decision created a strange little postgame discussion anyway, one that stood out almost as much as the score itself. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Hines-Allen Sideline Scuffle Took A Strange Jaguars Turn
Travis Hunters first career interception was supposed to be the headline from Sunday, but the scene around it quickly turned into something else. On the sideline, Josh Hines-Allen got caught in a brief scuffle over the football, with the moment featuring a tug-of-war and a shove as the plays souvenir became the center of attention.
Liam Coen said the situation appears to be resolved, but the oddest part still hangs out there: even the person on the other end of the exchange has not been clearly identified by either team. An unconfirmed report from TMZ Sports suggested the individual may have been with the Patriots rather than the Jaguars, which only adds another layer to a strange post-interception sequence that left more questions than answers. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Offense Just Raised A Bigger Concern Than Fans Expected
Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars made a statement in Week 3, rolling past the Patriots 35-6 behind a balanced effort that leaned on both the quarterback and the ground game. For Jacksonville, it was the kind of win that can reinforce confidence early in the season, especially with the offense looking sharp enough to separate quickly and keep control throughout the afternoon.
On the other side, New England came away with more questions than answers as Drake Maye, in backup duty, was picked off multiple times and the Patriots slipped to 1-2. The broader AFC picture only sharpened the contrast, with Buffalo surviving the Chargers despite turnovers and Josh Allen adding two rushing scores, but for Jacksonville the attention remains on how convincingly it handled a defense that never settled in. [Read more 🡒]