Through two weeks, the 2024 NFL season is turning into the Year of the Kicker.
Collectively, the NFL's 32 kickers are off to an unprecedented start.
Let's check out some of the numbers:
- There have been more field goals (141) than touchdowns (136) through two weeks. This marks the first time in NFL history that there have been more field goals than touchdowns through the first two weeks of the season. If the field goal number stays ahead of the touchdown number, we'll see another NFL first because there has NEVER been a season in league history where there have been more field goals than touchdowns.
- Two distance records. Through the first two weeks of the season, kickers have combined to hit 35 of 39 field goals from 50 yards or longer. To put that number in perspective, just consider this: As recently as 2006, there were only 40 field goals from 50 yards or longer for the ENTIRE SEASON and this year's kickers have almost passed that number through two weeks. Their 89.7% conversion rate on long field goals is also the highest accuracy rate ever in any season where there's been at least 15 attempts through the first two weeks.
- Most field goals ever in a single week (73 in Week 2). If your Fantasy kicker scored you a ton of points in Week 2, you're not alone. There were a total of 73 field goals kicked in Week 2, which set the NFL record for a single week. There were 68 field goals in Week 1, which is the third-most ever for a single week.
With kickers off to a historically good start, we thought we should go ahead and rank them, so that's what we're going to do right now.
Since the season is only two weeks old, this ranking is not only based on what a kicker has done this year, but what they've done in the past. That being said, a kicker's more recent history is being taken into account more than what they did 10 years ago.
A good example of this is Justin Tucker: From a total career standpoint, it's pretty easy to make the argument that he's the best kicker in NFL history. And if we were ranking kickers based on solely on their overall careers, he would be at the top. However, he's not No. 1 in our rankings, because we're also looking at several more recent factors.
With that in mind, let's get to our top-10 ranking.
2024 NFL Kicker
| 1 | 
Harrison Butker
Kansas City Chiefs K
|
| Butker is the new gold-standard for kickers and he showed why in Week 2 with a 51-yard field goal to beat the Bengals on the final play of the game. Butker is the second-most accurate kicker in NFL history and he's hit plenty of clutch field goals for the Chiefs, including the game-winning kick in Super Bowl LVII. | |
| 2 | 
Brandon Aubrey
Dallas Cowboys K
|
| When it comes to kickers, there have been a lot of one-year wonders in NFL history, but it definitely doesn't feel like that's going to be the case with Aubrey. After taking the NFL by storm in 2023, he's off to a hot start in 2024. He hit a 66-yarder in Week 1, and even though it didn't count, it showed what kind of confidence the Cowboys have in him. It feels like Aubrey is the future of the position. | |
| 3 | 
Chris Boswell
Pittsburgh Steelers K
|
| Boswell might be the most underrated kicker in the NFL. Despite being forced to kick in a difficult setting every week (Heinz Field), he's still managed to hit 87.5% of his field goals, which makes him the sixth-most accurate kicker in NFL history. Boswell scored ALL of the Steelers' points during their 18-10 win over the Falcons in Week 1. Also, he's NEVER missed a field goal attempt in the playoffs (He's one of only three kickers in NFL history to attempt at least 17 field goals in the playoffs and MAKE THEM ALL). Since the start of the 2021 season, Boswell has made 25 field goals of at least 50 yards, which is the most by any kicker in the NFL over the span. | |
| 4 | 
Justin Tucker
Baltimore Ravens K
|
| People are starting to wonder if Tucker has lost his magic touch after watching him go 0-for-2 from 50 yards and beyond this year. It's a shocking number when you consider that every other kicker combined is 35 of 37 from that range. Also, Tucker is just 1 of 7 on attempts of 50 yards or more dating to the start of last season. That being said, Tucker is still perfect from inside 50 this year, he doesn't miss extra points (Brandon Aubrey had more missed extra points last year than Tucker has had in the past four seasons combined). Also, if you asked every NFL coach who they would pick to attempt a 49-yard game-winning field goal in the Super Bowl, I'm guessing most of them would say Tucker. He's still one of the greats. | |
| 5 | 
Ka'imi Fairbairn
Houston Texans K
|
| Fairbairn has been one of the best kickers in the NFL since the start of the 2022 season and he's continuing that trend in 2024. The Texans kicker already has six field goals of 50 yards or more this year, which is the NFL record for most field goals from beyond 50 yards in a two-game span. | |
| 6 | 
Jake Elliott
Philadelphia Eagles K
|
| During his first his first season with the Eagles in 2017, Elliott hit a 61-yarder to beat the Giants and he's basically been clutch for them ever since. Elliott also hit one of the most improbable field goals of 2023 when he drilled a 59-yarder in a driving rain on the final play of regulation in a win over the Bills. Elliott is off to a perfect start in 2024 after hitting 93.8% of his kicks last season. | |
| 7 | 
Cameron Dicker
Los Angeles Chargers K
|
| Dicker has hit 95% of his career field goals, which would make him the most accurate kicker in NFL history if he had enough attempts to qualify (You need 100 and he only has 60). The only reason he's not higher on this list right now is because he's not asked to do what the kickers above him are asked to do. He only has two career field goal attempts from beyond 53 yards (To put that in perspective, Boswell has as many field goals from beyond 53 this SEASON as Dicker does in his career. Also, Tucker has attempted nine field goals from 60 yards or more in his career while Dicker has never had an attempt longer than 55). | |
| 8 | 
Younghoe Koo
Atlanta Falcons K
|
| Koo has turned into a model of NFL consistency. Since joining the Falcons in 2019, he's made 90.1% of his field goals, which is the second-highest accuracy percentage in the NFL over that span for anyone with at least 75 field goal attempts. | |
| 9 | 
Daniel Carlson
Las Vegas Raiders K
|
| The Las Vegas kicker was the Raiders' hero in Week 2 when he hit four field goals against the Ravens, including two kicks that came from beyond 50 yards. Carlson has now hit 20 field goals of 50 yards or more since the beginning of the 2021 season, which makes him one of just six kickers who have pulled off that feat. | |
| 10 | 
Cairo Santos
Chicago Bears K
|
| Soldier Field is one of the toughest stadiums to kick in, but Santos has made it look easy. Since the start of the 2022 season, Santos has hit 92.4% of his field goals, which is the third-highest percentage in the NFL for any kicker with at least 50 attempts over that span. Santos has gotten off to a hot start this year with three field goals of 50 yards or more, including two that came in Week 2 against the Texans. | |
