Kicking feat stands out in preseason

Cam Little hit a 70-yard field goal to end the first half in Jacksonville's preseason game against Pittsburgh, a kick that would have set an NFL record in the regular season.

Cam Little nails a 70-yard field goal in the preseason

Jaguars rookie Cam Little lined up in a late first-half moment against Pittsburgh with a wall of players and a wary hold. From well beyond typical field-goal range, the sixth-round pick watched the flight as the ball cleared the crossbar and sparked a wild celebration on the Jacksonville sideline. The kick would have tied the NFL record for length in a regular season game, yet it did not count after the stat crew ruled it a preseason attempt. Jacksonville fell 31-25, but the moment remained loud enough to turn heads and raise questions about how the kicking job might shape the team this season.

Trevor Lawrence pointed to Little’s range as a meaningful asset, suggesting the team could lean on a leg like his in crunch moments. Little, who connected on 27 of 29 field goals as a rookie and owns a 59-yard long, absorbed the moment with a mix of disbelief and relief, later noting the kick’s distance could loom large in the psyche of opponents and teammates alike. The ball boy caught the football as it crossed the bar, underscoring how close the effort came to history and how swiftly a preseason moment can become part of a team’s folklore.

The Jaguars are testing a potential difference-maker in the kicking game at a time when big plays and special teams can tilt close games. A 70-yard try in a high-pressure two-minute window demonstrates Little’s capability to convert extreme distances, which could change late-game decisions and field-position strategies. Yet the moment also highlights a broader challenge: translating a standout preseason feat into consistent regular-season performance. The team must balance optimism with the reality that record books are written in September and beyond, not in August. The excitement around Little should be tempered by patience and a clear plan for how his role evolves with coaching staff and game film to guide it.

Overall, the moment reveals a rising confidence in Jacksonville’s kicking depth and augurs well for their special-teams unit. It also underscores how a single play can energize a franchise’s narrative, even as the standings from August stay separate from the stakes of late summer. The real test will be steady execution when the lights burn brightest under the regular-season clock.

Highlights

What happens next will test how the Jaguars value long-range kicking.