99 Stats Until Kickoff (#39) The NFL’s best postseason placekickers
David Akers (Photo credit: Kevin Burkett)
From May 30 and every day until September 5… the start of the 2013 NFL season… Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ will publish “99 Stats Until Kickoff” a daily dose of NFL stats that will get you ready for the 2013 NFL season.)
San Francisco’s placekicker David Akers had to feel a bit of redemption about his performance in Super Bowl XLVII against the Ravens. Akers was successful on three field goals in three attempts. This three-for-three performance came on the heels of a season where he was almost run out of town because of a less-than-stellar regular season.
With Baltimore’s kicker Justin Tucker also making two field goals, the two Super Bowl kickers last season tied a game record for most field goals made in a Super Bowl contest with five. The last time there were five field goals made in a Super Bowl was in the 1994 Super Bowl when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Buffalo Bills.
With his three made field goals in three attempts in the Super Bowl, Akers also upped his postseason field goal percentage to 83.0 percent, good enough for 17th on the all-time NFL list for placekickers in the playoffs (since 1966; minimum of 10 field goals attempted to qualify for the list.)
Twenty-two placekickers have made 80 percent or more of their playoff field goal attempts since the start of the Super Bowl era. Leading that list is Martin Gramatica who made 13 of 14 playoff field goals for a 92.9 percentage in his career.
Following are the 22 placekickers who have made 80 percent of more of their kicks in the playoffs. (A=active player in 2012)
FG Pct., Placekickers
92.9: Martin Gramatica
92.0: John Kasay
90.9: Chuck Nelson
90.0: Stephen Gostkowski (A)
88.9: Mike Hollis; Jeff Reed
88.0: Steve Christie
87.5: Sebastian Janikowski (A)
86.7: Chris Boniol
85.7: Josh Brown (A); Billy Cundiff (A); Olindo Mare (A); Rafael Septien
84.2: Jason Elam
84.0: Matt Bahr
83.3: Mason Crosby (A)
83.0: David Akers (A)
82.8: Adam Vinatieri (A)
80.6: Matt Stover
80.0: Gary Anderson, John Carney, Toni Fritsch
In looking at field goals attempted in the 47-year history of the Super Bowl, there have been 170 attempted with 123 successful, a success percentage of .724. Teams that won the Super Bowl are 78 for 103 in field goal attempts in the game (.757), while teams that have lost the Super Bowl have made 45 of 67 (.672).
Ten times in the Super Bowl has a placekicker missed two or more field goal attempts. Last to do so was Seattle’s Josh Brown in the Super Bowl XL versus the Steelers. Dallas’ Efren Herrera holds the Super Bowl record for most field goals missed in a game with three (he did it in Super Bowl XII). Fortunately, the Cowboys still won that game. In fact, of the ten times when a team’s placekicker missed two or more field goal attempts in a Super Bowl game, those teams are 6-4.
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Could kickers make the difference in Super Bowl XLVII?
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a sports statistics blog published with a focus on stats that go beyond the numbers.
David Akers kicking a field goal with the Philadelphia Eagles(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
With experts expecting a close game for Super Bowl XLVII, the kickers could play an important role in next week’s game.
The two opposing kickers offer quite a contrast. First we have rookie Justin Tucker with the Baltimore Ravens who had a great first season making 30 of 33 field goal attempts, a 90.9 percentage. In the playoffs he has kicked two FGs, making both.
San Francisco kicker David Akers has 367 made field goals on his resume. He has led the league in field goal attempts in four of the last five years. He has 23 playoff games experience, making 36 of 44 (an 81.8 percentage). That’s the good news.
This year, however, has been a struggle for Akers. He missed 13 FGs in the regular season ending the year with a 69 percentage rate, the lowest of his career and far below his career mark of 81 percent.
Akers is, however, one of 26 kickers who has made 80 percent or more of his field goals in playoff games. Here’s a look at the kickers who have the best field goal made percentage in the post-season (from 1966-2012, minimum of 10 attempts).
Field Goal percentage, kicker
92.9%: Martin Gramatica
92.0%: John Kasay
90.9%: Chuck Nelson
90.0%: Brad Daluiso, Stephen Gostkowski
88.9%: Mike Hollis, Jeff Reed
88.0%: Steve Christie
87.5%: Sebastian Janikowski
86.7%: Chris Boniol
85.7%: Josh Brown, Billy Cundiff, Olindo Mare, Rafael Septien
84.2%: Jason Elam
84.0%: Matt Bahr
83.3%: Mason Crosby
82.8%: Adam Vinatieri
81.8%: David Akers, Jim Breech, Shayne Graham
80.6%: Matt Stover
80.0%: Gary Anderson, John Carney, Toni Fritsch, Pat Leahy
In looking at the past 46 Super Bowl games, there have been 10 games where a kicker missed two or more field goals. Dallas Cowboys kicker Efren Herrera in the 1978 Super Bowl missed three field goal attempts, the only time three have been missed by one kicker in a Super Bowl game. Nine kickers have missed two FG attempts in a single Super Bowl contest: Lou Michaels (1969), Jim Turner (1969), Roy Gerela (1976), Rich Karlis (1987), Mike Lofer (1989), Jason Elam (1999), Al Del Greco (2000), Adam Vinatieri (2004), Josh Brown (2006).
Two more interesting stats:
* Two kickers missed a field goal in a Super Bowl game where their team lost by a final margin of three points or less. Buffalo’s Scott Norwood missed a FG in the Bills 20-19 loss in the 1991 Super Bowl against the New York Giants; Rams’ kicker Jeff Wilkins missed a FG in St. Louis’ 2002 Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots, 20-17.
* Field goal kickers from the Super Bowl winning team have made 73 of 98 field goals, a 74.5 percentage. Kickers from the Super Bowl losing team have made 41 of 64 FGs in the big game, a 64.1 percentage.
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