Cade York was facing bigger obstacles than the wind and the distance when he made history and tied the Cincinnati Bengals‘ all-time record for the franchise’s longest successful field goal.
York had to survive several moments of indecision by his own head coach, Zac Taylor, just prior to attempting the kick on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. Then, he had to beat defensive end Myles Garrett − no easy task for any player at any position, and especially for NFL kickers.
Garrett, York’s former teammate in Cleveland, disrupted the minutes leading up to the kick simply because of the threat he posed, and the concern it caused Taylor. Garrett had the athleticism and experience to potentially turn the field goal try into a play that could have brought about the end of the Bengals’ faint playoff hopes, too.
York overcame it all at the end of the first half against the Cleveland Browns, booting a 59-yard field goal to tie kicker Evan McPherson for the longest successful field goal in Bengals’ history. The score put Cincinnati up, 17-0, going into halftime. The Bengals (7-8) went on to win, 24-6, as they kept their long-shot AFC Wild Card playoff hopes alive.
York is backing up the highly-paid McPherson, a Bengals captain who missed the last three games through injury. But backup or not, York’s name is etched indelibly in team history now. He’s right alongside McPherson, who hit a 59-yarder in 2022.
York’s big opportunity to drill the kick, which he launched into Paycor Stadium’s north end zone from the middle of the Bengals’ “B” logo at midfield, was nearly scrapped by Taylor in favor of a punt, though.
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Leading, 14-0, on 4th-and-14 and with time for one play in the first half, Taylor initially wasn’t certain how best to play the situation. In the press box and in the stands, there were calls for a Joe Burrow “Hail Mary” toss to the end zone. That seemed to some like a low-risk option when you consider Ja’Marr Chase’s ability to go up and grab catches, but not to Taylor.
“I don’t love the ‘Hail Mary’ in that situation, to be honest with you,” Taylor explained.
Taylor didn’t seem to love any of his options. He initially called for a punt but then called timeout. Upon reconsidering, Taylor ordered up a field goal − final decision. But he made that decision with considerable trepidation.
The thing that bothered Taylor about the field goal was Garrett because the 28-year-old Texas A&M product and reigning Defensive Player of the Year has a track record of blowing up field goals.
Garrett has several times in regular-season play hurdled the entire line of scrimmage, popped back up in the kicking team’s backfield and stuffed their kicks. He did it against the Indianapolis Colts in 2023, and even more impressively on Oct. 13 to the Philadelphia Eagles when the Eagles tried a 57-yarder.
Against the Eagles, the ensuing loose ball was scooped up for a Browns touchdown return, meaning Philadelphia was rewarded for its long field goal try with a shocking 10-point swing because of Garrett. That play was foremost on Taylor’s mind.
“What’s going through my mind is Myles Garrett blocking a kick at halftime the Eagles game and kind of turning the tide there,” Taylor said. “That’s what happens with some of those longer field goals. You’re a little bit torn. It wasn’t anything to do with Cade or any of that. That was the direction we felt better kicking a longer distance, take a shot at the end of the half. It’s more just the effect Myles has. He blocks kicks in those longer situations that can change games.”
‘No one’s trying to stop you, Myles’
York said he was trying to focus on everything but Garrett, but he’d already had multiple kicks blocked by Garrett in his career. No one saw the blocks in public, but they still left an impression on York.
York broke into the NFL with the Browns in 2021. There, he was Garrett’s teammate, and Garrett would practice blocking York’s field goals. Garrett primarily gets paid to sack quarterbacks, but York described his now-former teammate’s discernible fascination with trying to blow plays up on special teams, too.
Sometimes, Garrett’s fixation with blocking field goals even interfered with York’s own work in practice.
“Funny story. My rookie year in Cleveland, Myles is practicing that (blocking kicks) and we called it in practice, but usually if you call it in practice, you don’t actually do it,” York said. “Literally, I’m not kidding, probably five times that season, he would jump the snap and just block my kick in the middle of practice. Like, no one’s trying to stop you, Myles, and he would just eat it from, like, four yards away.
“”I’m like, ‘hey, I’m trying to make kicks in practice, too, you jerk. Leave me alone.’”
York on his historic moment: ‘It’s pretty cool’
After York saw Taylor had ordered up the field goal try and was back out on the field, the Browns called timeout to try to freeze York. It didn’t work.
York said he put everything he had into the kick. That showed as the ball appeared to clear the goalpost crossbar by a yard or two. Taylor smiled from ear to ear.
“It was just like any other kick. Just a little bit colder and a little bit farther,” York said.
Kickers are increasingly making 50-plus yard field goals look routine. And with McPherson’s future in Cincinnati secured, it’s not hard to imagine York’s jointly-held record falling one day. But even then, his kick is sure to hold a place in Bengals lore.
Decades from now, you can imagine bar trivia emcees will ask for Cincinnatians for the name of the backup kicker who hit what was then tied for the longest field goal in franchise history.
York, who has been affable and self-effacing in his interview sessions since arriving to the team earlier in December, was almost nonchalant about the impact of his 59-yard kick for the playoff-hopeful Bengals.
“Feels great,” York said. “I didn’t really realize (the history) until after the game but… it’s pretty cool.”
This past Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals found themselves in a tight spot when their starting kicker went down with an injury. In stepped backup kicker Cade York, who not only filled in admirably but also made history in the process.
York, a rookie out of LSU, had never attempted a field goal in an NFL game before Sunday. However, he quickly made a name for himself by nailing a 53-yard field goal in the first quarter, becoming the youngest player in Bengals history to make a field goal of 50 yards or longer.
But York wasn’t done there. In the fourth quarter, with the game on the line, he drilled a 48-yard field goal to give the Bengals a crucial three-point lead. This made him the first Bengals kicker ever to make multiple field goals of 45 yards or longer in his first career game.
York’s clutch performance helped the Bengals secure a key divisional win over the Cleveland Browns and showed that they have a reliable backup kicker in case of emergencies. With his historic debut, Cade York has proven that he has what it takes to succeed in the NFL and is sure to have a bright future ahead of him.
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