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Cam Little newest FG record shows he can be playoff difference-maker
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- Cam Little newest FG record shows he can be playoff difference-maker
His team playing with a back-up quarterback and already trailing by 21 points, Tennessee Titans interim coach Mike McCoy made the right decision late in the first half against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Jan. 4.
Don't bother with the timeouts. Run some plays. Use up the final 51 seconds. Head to the locker room.
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Until McCoy made the wrong decision.
On fourth down from the Titans' 49, he was fine with Brandon Allen throwing a pass downfield.
Did McCoy not know Jaguars kicker Cam Little's range is basically from the Hart Bridge? Did he not know Little kicked an NFL record 68-yard field goal against Las Vegas earlier this season? Did he not know Jaguars coach Liam Coen would not hesitate on giving Little another long-range shot?
Allen's pass was broken up by cornerback Greg Newsome . Three seconds remained.
"I wasn't paying attention very well and I just thought we were going to knee it out and then I forgot our kicker can hit it from (anywhere)," Jaguars punter/holder Logan Cooke said. "When they called, 'Field goal,' I had to go get my helmet."
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Cooke fetched his helmet and held the football for Little's 67-yard field goal, one of the many highlights of the Jaguars' 41-7 destruction of the Titans to clinch the AFC South title. It was the second-longest field goal in league history and the longest in an outdoor game.
Why write about the kicker when the Jaguars handed out t-shirts and hats to celebrate, commemorate and recognize their remarkable season?
Because with Little, he of 20 consecutive made field goals, the Jaguars have one of the best weapons in the postseason. Only five field goals in NFL history have measured at least 65 yards. Little has two of them, including the two longest.
MORE FROM O'HALLORAN: Why Jaguars fans should celebrate AFC South-clinching win over Titans
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Bye week rebound
Before his streak started, Little was in a slump, the kind of slump that had me writing the Jaguars should sign a practice squad kicker, have an in-week competition and the best guy gets a jersey against Las Vegas .
Little missed field goals in Week 3 against Houston , Week 4 at San Francisco , Week 6 against Seattle and Week 7 against the Los Angeles Rams (in London).
Kickers who have four misses in five weeks don't usually remain the kicker. It would have been careless to give up on Little, but maybe making him uncomfortable would turn him around. Turns out, the bye week took care of that.
Jacksonville Jaguars place kicker Cam Little (39) follows his point after try during the second quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]
"As a human, when you get time off, you can see it as a clean slate," Little said.
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In the 10 games since the bye, Little has a clean sheet — 56 for 56 combined on extra points and field goals.
"The bye week came at a good time and as a professional athlete, you're always going to have ebbs and flows," Cooke said. "We all have a game or two that doesn't go how we would like. You don't grow as much at the top of the mountain as you do in the valleys so it's good to have those (low) moments."
Those moments in the valley are only valuable if you can respond.
Little's 68-yard field goal against the Raiders — on grass, but indoors — was the spark he needed. His 20 makes have been from 68, 33, 48, 32, 53, 33, 52, 52, 45, 35, 48, 33, 22, 47, 36, 34, 42, 53, 67 and 52 yards.
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Little is the kind of kicker who can win a playoff game.
Comparing the field goals
We're in the comparison business. Seasons to seasons. Players to players. Coaches to coaches. You name, it we compare it. So about record kick to record kick?
"I caught this one a little cleaner," Little said. "The wind was blowing in a couple of directions the whole game and in this stadium, it swirls normally. I played the wind perfectly on this kick. I liked the way I hit this ball a little better (than the 68-yarder)."
Cooke agreed.
"I do think this might have been good from a little further and it was into a crosswind, which is even wilder," he said. "It might have been good from the mid-70s, which is ridiculous."
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Little boomed the kick and did a Cristiano Ronaldo celebration, the soccer legend who uses his hands to calm down the crowd after a goal, as if to say, "I've been here before so it's not a big deal."
Little's range has also become ho-hum; 52 yards is like a chip shot. Those of you in the stands or watching on television, you knew Little was going to make it from 67, right? Same for me.
"He's a stud," Cooke said. "It's a pleasure to hold for him."
Contact O'Halloran at rohalloran@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Why Jaguars K Cam Little can be NFL playoff difference-maker
