GREEN BAY, WI — With one second left before halftime at Lambeau Field (Week 6), head coach Zac Taylor sent Evan McPherson on for a 67-yard field goal — far enough to surpass the NFL record of 66 yards set by Justin Tucker (Ravens, 2021). McPherson’s first kick sailed through to a roar from the crowd, but it was immediately wiped out when officials confirmed the Green Bay Packers had called a timeout before the snap. Under NFL rules, the play did not count and had to be repeated. On the retry, the kick lacked power and drifted wide, closing the window on a history-making moment at the “Cathedral” of Lambeau.

Speaking after the game, McPherson was composed yet clearly disappointed: “I could have made history and rewritten the NFL’s record books. I have to say, when I learned about the timeout, I was pretty disappointed. But anyway, congratulations to the Packers for the win.

” Within the rules, head coach Matt LaFleur’s timeout was entirely legal and reflected a keen attention to detail in high-leverage moments with razor-thin margins — a classic example of “icing the kicker.”

For the Bengals, the 67-yard attempt underscored their faith in McPherson’s leg strength and poise. Even though it didn’t count, the initial kick that cleared the crossbar before the timeout was a clear marker of the fourth-year kicker’s real-game range. McPherson’s career long remains 64 yards, while Tucker’s 66-yard benchmark stands.

The game ended in a Packers victory, but what lingered was the thin line between history and… a hand signal before the snap. McPherson’s résumé remains impressive — a perfect 14-for-14 field-goal run in the 2021 postseason, the record for most consecutive makes in a single playoff — reinforcing his status as one of the league’s most reliable kickers. With proven leg talent and a professional mindset, his chance to rewrite the NFL record books is still very much ahead.