Rams’ Greg Zuerlein nails 61-yard field goal, seventh-longest kick ever

The 60-yard field goal is a hallowed distance in NFL lore, and the St. Louis Rams’ Greg Zuerlein just joined that elite fraternity.

Zuerlein — nicknamed “Greg the Leg” and “Legatron” — nailed a 61-yarder against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, which is tied for the seventh-longest kick in NFL history.

The Denver Broncos’ Matt Prater crushed a 64-yarder late in the 2013 season to break Tom Dempsey’s 1970 mark — one that had been matched three times but never surpassed until Prater did in the thin air of Denver’s Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

Interestingly, most of the NFL’s 15 field goals of 60 yards or longer have come outside. Only three came in domes, and Jay Feely’s 61-yarder at University of Phoenix came with the retractable roof closed.

The last 60-plus kick before Week 9 was from the Baltimore Ravens’ Justin Tucker, who nailed a 61-yarder eight days after Prater’s record. 

Zuerlein’s previous career best was a 60-yarder his rookie season of 2012, making him one of only two multiple 60-yard guys along with Sebastian Janikowski. Interestingly, Zuerlein had been having an off season by his standards entering the game, making only 9 of 15 field-goal attempts, which put him dead last among active kickers entering Week 9.

But along with Zuerlein’s 61-yarder, he also hit two more in the first half, including a 45-yard kick to give the Rams a 15-10 halftime lead.

– – – – – – –

Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm