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It hasn’t been a great season for Detroit Lions kicker Matt Prater. He entered Week 10 having made just 14-of-20 kicks this year and in the past couple of weeks he’s missed some kicks that have usually been gimmes. He had been especially poor from 50+ yards, converting on just two of five kicks, with a long of just 51.
But with the game on the line, and in his 100th game as a Detroit Lion no less, Matt Prater was absolutely money.
Detroit was in a desperate situation. Just 17 seconds left in a tie game with three timeouts and starting on their own 25-yard line. Matthew Stafford nearly connected on a bomb to Quintez Cephus that would have ended the game, but it fell incomplete. Lucky for Detroit, a roughing the passer call on Chase Young gave them 15 yards and new life. A 9-yard pass to Marvin Jones on the next play set Matt Prater up to be a hero.
It wasn’t going to be easy from 59 yards out, but Prater made it look like an extra point.
59 yards FOR THE WIN!!
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) November 15, 2020
Another @MattPrater_5 walkoff pic.twitter.com/PeYaD4d50I
That ball hits the net about a third of the way up the goalpost and almost certainly would’ve been good from 63.
Perhaps most importantly of all, the kick puts Prater in the lead in his friendly competition with Broncos kicker Brandon McManus for the longest kick of the season between the two. In the offseason, Bud Light agreed to sponsor a contest for free beer to the city of the kicker with the longest kick between the two for the 2020 season. McManus’ long this year is 56 yards. He has never made a field goal longer than 57 yards.
FREE WIN. FREE BEER. LET’S GO, MATT.