A Buffalo Bills player held the record for the longest field goal in a Super Bowl for thirty years. Right up till Sunday.
San Francisco 49ers kicker Jake Moody gave his side an early 3-0 lead over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII with a 55-yard field goal in the first quarter.
The record for the longest field goal in a Super Bowl was previously held by Bills kicker Steve Christie, who made a 54-yarder in Super Bowl XXVIII in 1994. For Buffalo, which suffered a record-tying fourth consecutive Super Bowl defeat that year—a 30-13 loss to the Dallas Cowboys—it was a high point.
Steve Christie and Frank Reich
FILE-After Buffalo Bills kicker Steve Christie’s 54-yard field goal during Super Bowl XXVIII against the Dallas Cowboys in Atlanta, Buffalo Bills forward Frank Reich (14), a file photo taken on January 4, 1994. According to the NFL, the 54-yard field goal was the longest in the Super Bowl in 30 years. The Cowboys won 30–13 against the Bills. (AP Image/File: Amy Sancetta)AP
However, Moody’s record outlasted Christie by a significant margin.
Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker attempted a 57-yard field goal in the second quarter. Despite being low, the kick managed to get through the uprights and cut the 49ers’ lead to 10–6.
As per CBS, Moody and Butker became the first NFL champion kickers to try a 54-yard or longer field goal since Josh Brown of the Seattle Seahawks failed on a 54-yard effort in Super Bowl XL. Since Christie had set the record, no one else had attempted to travel such a distance. Just 46.7% of all kickers in NFL history had made successful field goals from 50 yards or longer in the Super Bowl before to Sunday.
In overtime, the Chiefs prevailed 25–22 to win the game. It was the second consecutive Super Bowl triumph for Kansas City, and its third under head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Despite this, Moody ended up with a Super Bowl record, according to CBS. The Michigan rookie became the first football player to make multiple field goals of 50 yards or more in a single Super Bowl when he added a 53-yarder in the fourth quarter.
