Story by
Broncos Kicker Sets Extra Point Record In Tight Win Over Chiefs
- Story by
- Broncos Kicker Sets Extra Point Record In Tight Win Over Chiefs
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
Denver Broncos kicker Wil Lutz is one of the best in the NFL when it comes to reliability , and the numbers prove it. Lutz has now made 113 extra points in a row, according to a report from Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk, along with multiple other outlets.
This isn't the cheap version of this record, either. Many of the prior records for extra points were close to meaningless before the rule was changed to add 13 yards of distance back in 2015, but Lutz has made all of his PATs from the longer distance since the rule change was instituted.
Advertisement
Lutz's last miss happened back in 2023 hen he hit the upright against the Buffalo Bills back on November 11, 2023, per Smith. The kicker made up for that with a game-winning field goal as time expired to give the Broncos a 24-22 win.
This is why coach Sean Payton values Lutz so much, to the point where he gave him an extension that made the kicker one of the highest paid at his position in the NFL. Lutz says he "values the extra point," but he makes his money with those game-winning field goals, as he proved last season when he had a run of them.
Some of those are situational, with the latest example being the 53-yarder Lutz hit in overtime to give Denver a 17-14 win over the Seattle Seahawks, and the kicker obviously has no control over when those happen.
But sometimes reliability is just as important, as Lutz proved in Denver's 28-24 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. The kicker hit all of his extra points to go with a 45-yard field goal as the Broncos came from behind to win the game, and it was Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker who got to wear the goats horns when he missed a 54-yarder that gave Denver the field position to mount what became the winning drive.
Advertisement
Lutz is now 32, and he's been with Payton for a long time. He started his career behind Justin Tucker of the Baltimore Ravens, who was just signed to the Chiefs practice squad last week. But then-Ravens coach John Harbaugh recommended Lutz to Payton, and they've had a lot of success together.
They'll need to have more, too, because the Broncos play a lot of close games, and this week's game against the Carolina Panthers could easily come down to one of those last-second specials.
