NFL Kicking Accuracy By Year Reveals Surprising Drops
NFL kicking accuracy by year: 2015-2025
The NFL field goal accuracy rate stayed remarkably strong from 2015 through 2025, hovering mostly in the mid-80s, with a notable dip in 2019 before rebounding to new highs by the mid-2020s. The league-wide make rate was 84.5% in 2015, fell to 81.6% in 2019, then recovered to 85.9% in 2023 and 85.6% in 2025, showing that modern kicking remains highly efficient even as teams attempt more long-distance and end-of-half field goals.
Year-by-year data
The table below summarizes the yearly league-wide field goal percentage from 2015 to 2025, along with attempts and makes when available. These figures show both the long-run stability of league kicking and the unusual 2019 decline that stood out against the surrounding seasons.
| Season | Field Goal % | FGM | FGA | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 84.5% | 834 | 987 | Strong baseline year. |
| 2016 | 84.2% | 850 | 1,009 | Stable league average. |
| 2017 | 84.3% | 866 | 1,027 | Minimal change from prior seasons. |
| 2018 | 84.7% | 802 | 947 | Still in the mid-80s. |
| 2019 | 81.6% | 802 | 983 | Clear league-wide drop. |
| 2020 | 84.6% | 812 | 960 | Rebound after 2019. |
| 2021 | 85.1% | 874 | 1,027 | Higher volume, strong efficiency. |
| 2022 | 85.0% | 903 | 1,062 | Consistency continued. |
| 2023 | 85.9% | 911 | 1,060 | Best rate in this span. |
| 2024 | 84.0% | 937 | 1,115 | Small step back. |
| 2025 | 85.6% | 931 | 1,088 | Recovered to elite efficiency. |
What the numbers mean
The most important takeaway from the 2015-2025 trend is that NFL kicking did not collapse or steadily improve in a straight line; instead, it oscillated around an elite but narrow range. That pattern matters because analysts often interpret a few headline misses as evidence of a crisis, but the broader data show a league that has remained very accurate overall.
The biggest drop in this window came in 2019, when field goal percentage fell to 81.6% from 84.7% in 2018. That decline looked dramatic because it broke the otherwise steady mid-80s pattern, and it fueled more public discussion about kicking volatility than the surrounding years did.
Why 2019 stood out
One reason 2019 drew attention is that a temporary dip can feel larger in a sport where every missed kick is highly visible and often game-changing. League coverage in later seasons also showed that even when individual weeks produced clusters of misses, the full-season data still pointed to a strong long-term accuracy baseline rather than a structural breakdown.
"Kickers missed 14 field goals and 13 extra points" in a single week in 2021, a reminder that short-term kicking slumps can look alarming even when season-long accuracy remains strong.
Broader trend since 2015
From 2015 through 2018, field goal accuracy stayed tightly grouped between 84.2% and 84.7%, which suggests the league's kicking environment was already highly mature. After the 2019 dip, the numbers returned to 84.6% in 2020, then climbed to 85.1% in 2021, 85.0% in 2022, 85.9% in 2023, and 85.6% in 2025, reinforcing the idea that modern special teams have become more reliable, not less.
Another useful context point is that attempt volume also stayed high, with more than 1,000 field goal attempts in several seasons, which means these percentages are not the product of tiny samples. In other words, attempt volume stayed large enough that the yearly rates reflect real league behavior rather than random noise.
How to read the trend
- Look at 2015-2018 as the modern baseline, because the league held around 84% accuracy for four straight seasons.
- Treat 2019 as an outlier season, because it fell to 81.6% while adjacent years were much higher.
- Read 2020-2025 as a recovery-and-stabilization phase, since the league returned to roughly 84.6% to 85.9% across those seasons.
- Focus on both volume and efficiency, because a high make rate with heavy usage is more meaningful than a small sample.
Why accuracy matters
Field goal accuracy shapes game strategy, fourth-down decisions, and late-game clock management. When teams trust their kickers, they are more willing to settle for three points in borderline situations, which can change play-calling across the entire league. The rise to 85%-plus in multiple seasons means the three-point threat has become a stable part of offensive planning rather than a backup option.
The distance profile matters too, because today's kickers are not just making short routine attempts; they are converting longer tries more often than earlier generations did. Historical summaries of kicking accuracy show that the league's best kickers now routinely operate in a range that would have been much less common decades ago.
Context from recent seasons
Coverage around the 2024 season noted that overall make percentage remained "essentially unchanged, right around 85%," which fits the broader 2015-2025 story of high stability with occasional dips. That consistency explains why one rough weekend does not necessarily indicate a league-wide problem; the season-level baseline still points to strong overall performance.
By 2025, the league's field goal percentage had risen back to 85.6%, suggesting that the 2024 decline to 84.0% was temporary rather than the start of a downward trend. The larger picture is that modern kickers have made NFL field goals one of the most reliable scoring methods in the sport.
Most searched questions
Bottom line for readers
If you are tracking NFL field goal accuracy by year from 2015 to 2025, the clear story is stability with one meaningful dip in 2019 and a strong recovery afterward. The league remained highly accurate throughout the period, and by 2023-2025 it was again operating near the upper end of its modern kicking range.
Everything you need to know about Nfl Kicking Accuracy By Year Reveals Surprising Drops
What was the best NFL field goal year from 2015 to 2025?
Based on the available yearly data, 2023 had the highest league-wide field goal percentage in this span at 85.9%, narrowly ahead of 2025 at 85.6%.
Which year had the biggest drop?
2019 had the sharpest decline, falling to 81.6% after 84.7% in 2018, making it the clearest down year in the 2015-2025 window.
Did NFL kicking get better overall?
Yes, but only modestly and not in a straight line: the league stayed in the mid-80s most years, rebounded after 2019, and finished 2025 near its best level of the decade.
Are missed kicks becoming more common?
Not across the full decade-long sample, because the league-wide make rate remained strong and generally stable, even though individual weeks and specific seasons can produce noticeable miss spikes.