The Detroit Lions have virtually no field goals too long with kicker Jake Bates on the roster, as the former UFL standout demonstrated once more in the Week 17 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers. When quarterback Jared Goff was fired, Detroit’s second series of the second half came to a standstill at the 40-yard line, with the Lions behind 28-21 in the third quarter of an offensive extravaganza on Monday night.
The Lions have a kicker in Bates who has a monster leg, which made him renowned during his time with the Michigan Panthers in the UFL. Most teams would just punt the ball away. Bates easily and flawlessly drilled the 57-yard field goal when the Lions called his number, bringing the Lions within four points.
It may surprise you to learn that Bates’ longest field goal of the season was a 58-yard try early in the season. Bates, however, sank several 60-yarders with the Panthers, so even that attempt was a chip shot. Bates received a lot of interest from NFL teams following his UFL success, but the Lions were able to retain him in the state by offering him a two-year contract.
At first, Bates was expected to compete against Michael Badgley, a seasoned kicker, but Badgley’s injury ended his season, leaving Bates as the team’s sole kicker. Following several setbacks during the summer, the Lions kept believing in Bates, and he was able to land the position to start the season and hasn’t looked back. Bates has been everything the Lions could have hoped for, scoring 24 of 27 tries in 2024 with his make on Monday night.