Entering the season, the standard for 50-yard attempts in a season was 120, set in 1993. Meanwhile, the record for 50-yarders made stood at 66, established in 2008.
The ’11 totals were a full 16.7 percent (attempts) and 36.4 percent (makes) higher, respectively.
In fact, the 90 successful 50-yarders were more than all but 12 seasons of total 50-yard field goal attempts in league history.
By comparison, only a decade ago, the 2001 NFL campaign featured 38 successful 50-yard field goals in 73 attempts. Those totals had dipped from the 1991 totals of 42 and 93, respectively, but they easily topped the numbers from 1981 (20-of-51), 1971 (12-of-51) and 1961 (an NFL-AFL-combined 5-of-19).
This 50-yard field-goal frenzy wasn’t just about quantity, however. In terms of historical accuracy, 2011 was tops as well, with 64.3 percent of all 50-yard attempts netting success.
The only other season since 1960 that featured a better-than-60-percent conversion rate from 50-or-more yards came in 2008, when kickers connected on 66-of-104 tries for a success rate of 63.5 percent.
Overall, the league’s field-goal conversion rate was 82.9 percent – second only to 2008’s 84.5 success rate in the 74 years the stat has been tracked.
Overall, the league’s field-goal conversion rate was 82.9 percent – second only to 2008’s 84.5 success rate in the 74 years the stat has been tracked.
This number is even more impressive considering an all-time high for attempts (1,011) was established this past fall, and a markedly higher percentage of these kicks, as aforementioned, are coming from greater distances.
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