If you have ever been curious about what percentage of kicks an NFL kicker should be expected to make from various distances or how the league's kickers have been performing versus expectations, this is the article for you.
We looked at every NFL field goal attempt since 2010 and found the following average made field goal percentages by distance:
| Distance (in Yards) | FGs Made | Attempted | Make Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | 11 | 11 | 100.0% |
| 19 | 118 | 118 | 100.0% |
| 20 | 248 | 250 | 99.2% |
| 21 | 281 | 284 | 98.9% |
| 22 | 333 | 340 | 97.9% |
| 23 | 368 | 372 | 98.9% |
| 24 | 293 | 305 | 96.1% |
| 25 | 342 | 347 | 98.6% |
| 26 | 322 | 330 | 97.6% |
| 27 | 348 | 360 | 96.7% |
| 28 | 377 | 391 | 96.4% |
| 29 | 362 | 386 | 93.8% |
| 30 | 357 | 376 | 94.9% |
| 31 | 372 | 387 | 96.1% |
| 32 | 339 | 358 | 94.7% |
| 33 | 429 | 455 | 94.3% |
| 34 | 335 | 380 | 88.2% |
| 35 | 361 | 391 | 92.3% |
| 36 | 359 | 402 | 89.3% |
| 37 | 371 | 424 | 87.5% |
| 38 | 400 | 458 | 87.3% |
| 39 | 342 | 392 | 87.2% |
| 40 | 358 | 415 | 86.3% |
| 41 | 327 | 404 | 80.9% |
| 42 | 333 | 402 | 82.8% |
| 43 | 384 | 478 | 80.3% |
| 44 | 295 | 369 | 79.9% |
| 45 | 328 | 420 | 78.1% |
| 46 | 297 | 403 | 73.7% |
| 47 | 300 | 409 | 73.3% |
| 48 | 358 | 510 | 70.2% |
| 49 | 284 | 384 | 74.0% |
| 50 | 266 | 375 | 70.9% |
| 51 | 242 | 346 | 69.9% |
| 52 | 222 | 348 | 63.8% |
| 53 | 233 | 343 | 67.9% |
| 54 | 152 | 228 | 66.7% |
| 55 | 110 | 189 | 58.2% |
| 56 | 64 | 109 | 58.7% |
| 57 | 41 | 74 | 55.4% |
| 58 | 25 | 55 | 45.5% |
| 59 | 17 | 32 | 53.1% |
| 60 | 7 | 18 | 38.9% |
| 61 | 9 | 28 | 32.1% |
| 62 | 6 | 13 | 46.2% |
| 63 | 4 | 16 | 25.0% |
| 64 | 1 | 5 | 20.0% |
| 65 | 0 | 4 | 0.0% |
| 66 | 1 | 5 | 20.0% |
| 67 | 0 | 2 | 0.0% |
| 68 | 0 | 2 | 0.0% |
| 70 | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
| 71 | 0 | 1 | 0.0% |
Using the above numbers as baselines, we can now more accurately assess the performance of NFL kickers through Week 6 of the 2023 NFL season. In the table below, each NFL kicker's total number of made field goals this season is compared to the number of field goals an average kicker (since 2010) would have been expected to make.
Kickers with the largest gap between made and expected makes are performing at a very high level, while kickers with fewer makes than expected are struggling and may be at risk of getting cut if they do not turn things around moving forward.
