The truth about “today’s” misses vs. past decades

It feels like kickers are missing more, but league wide, field goal accuracy today is broadly in the same 84% - 86% band it’s hovered in for much of the past decade, and far better than earlier eras. What’s changed is where kicks are coming from more long attempts, and the visibility of the few crunch time misses.

* This graph shows the steady climb since the 1970s.

1) The historical baseline: accuracy climbed for decades

From the 1970s through the 2010s, field-goal accuracy steadily rose as technique, surfaces, and specialization improved. League make rates were 60–65% in 1970–80, 75–80% by the 1990s–2000s, and mid-80s in the 2010s. Lean Blog+1

2) The modern range: mid-80s is normal

Recent seasons show the same story: the NFL typically lands mid-80s on field goals. For example, public compilations using Pro-Football-Reference data put league FG% around 85.9% in 2023 and 84% in 2024, very typical modern levels.

3) Why it feels like more misses now

More long tries. Teams attempt and make more 50+ yarders than they used to. Even great kickers hit those at lower rates than mid-range attempts, so a higher share of long tries means you’ll see more misses, without overall accuracy collapsing. Analytics and tracking pieces from 2024–25 show the distribution has shifted longer, and long-range accuracy has improved but still drags overall make rate when volume rises.

* This illustrates how long-range tries (and makes) have risen.

4) The extra point change matters mostly for PATs

In 2015 the NFL moved extra points back to 33 yards. PAT accuracy dropped from near-automatic (99%) to the mid-90s and has stayed there, so fans now see more total missed kicks (PATs + FGs) even if FG% is steady. That rule didn’t target field goals, but it changed how often we witness a miss.

5) Today’s kickers are better at the hard stuff

From 50+ yards, modern kickers are dramatically more capable than past eras (e.g., 62% on 50+ since 2010 in one long-horizon analysis ), and several current kickers sit atop the all-time accuracy lists. The ceiling is higher, even as teams test that ceiling more often.

• No modern collapse: League field-goal accuracy is still mid-80s, typical for the last decade and vastly better than the 70s–90s. StatMuse+1
• Perception vs. reality: More long attempts + louder high-leverage misses make it feel worse. The data says otherwise.
• PATs are the visible change: The 2015 rule made extra points missable again, so you see more misses overall even though FG% hasn’t cratered.

Written by Drew Lee