DETROIT – Matt Prater watched the ball go through the uprights, got recognition from holder Jack Fox and then was enveloped in a hug.
It has been a tougher season than normal for Prater, one of the most consistent kickers in the NFL, but on Sunday he set an NFL record. By making a 54-yard field goal in the second quarter, Prater set an NFL record for most field goals of 50 yards or more made in a career. His 59th career field goal of 50 yards or longer passed former Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski on the all-time list.
Prater already holds the NFL record for longest field goal, at 64 yards, set in 2013.
After the kick, long-time long-snapper Don Muhlbach came up to him, hugged him, fist-pumped and let out a yell. Prater was mobbed by his special-teams teammates and the normally stoic Prater showed emotion himself, too.
When it was announced to the mostly-empty Ford Field, too, Fox came over to him to embrace him again, as did defensive end Romeo Okwara.
Another @MattPrater_5 @NFL record ?@BudLight | #BudLightCelly #MINvsDET | ? FOX | #OnePride pic.twitter.com/yLSWXCKX0d
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 3, 2021
This was a big kick for him in a season he admitted earlier this week has not been a good one. He entered Sunday having made just 20 of 27 field goals — including 5 of 9 from 50 yards or further.
“For me, personally, it’s been frustrating,” Prater said. “I’ve missed some kicks that I expect to make. Been inconsistent, but I’m still hitting them strong and hitting them well. Just hasn’t been as consistent as I would like to be.”
Prater is in a contract year and would like to stay in Detroit, where he and his family have settled after signing with the club in 2014 following being cut by Denver.
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