T
he Cincinnati Bengals improved to 3-2 to begin the 2026 NFL season after a commanding win over the Miami Dolphins. Everything went well for the team in the win. The offense was humming, led by quarterback Joe Burrow, was humming and the defense made stops when it needed to. But perhaps the most impressive performance came from the special teams.
Kicker Evan McPherson had a great game, converting all four of his field goal attempts and his lone extra point attempt, finishing with seven points on the day. McPherson has not missed a kick so far this season and putting together another great season, it brings up the question on just how strong his legacy in Cincinnati is.
SB Nation's Anthony Cosenza wrote an article on McPherson's strong performance in Week 5 and talked about his impact for the franchise. McPherson tied the record for most field goals made in a postseason as a rookie in 2021 and from then on, he quickly proved himself as a star.
"Sure, they drafted Ja'Marr Chase at No. 6 overall that year, but it's a 5th-round selection that is also continuing to rewrite the team's record books," Cosenza wrote . "Kicker Evan McPherson is quietly cementing himself as the best at his position in team history. After going 14-of-14 as a rookie on field goal attempts in the 2021 postseason (an NFL rookie record), McPherson has continued to up his game for the team"
McPherson has a career field goal percentage of 84.2 and extra point percentage of 95.5. While he has played well for a majority of his career, he has struggled at times. McPherson's worst season came in 2024, where he converted only 72.7 percent of his field goals but he did go 97.4 percent on extra points.
McPherson was a star at the University of Florida, setting the SEC record for career field goal percentage at 85 percent. He only missed one extra point and made five out of his eight field goal attempts from 50 or more yards. When he left college, his career field goal percentage was No. 12 in NCAA history.
A highly touted prospect heading into the 2021 NFL Draft, the Bengals selected him the fifth round (No. 149 overall) and he immediately became the team's starting kicker. Kickers are not always drafted, with most signing as undrafted free agents. McPherson's rookie season in the NFL was a major success and he earned a PFWA All-Rookie team selection. NFL teams often cycle through kickers but the Bengals hope that McPherson can continue to play at a high level so that he can stick around for a long time.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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