A Dallas Cowboys’ special teams player pulled off a first in NFL history Sunday night

Just a few weeks ago we were wondering if Brett Maher was long for the Dallas Cowboys’ roster.

But the Cowboys’ kicker didn’t let a few missed field goals blow up into any kind of trend.

And now he’s done something no kicker has done in NFL history.

Maher drilled a 63-yard field goal just before halftime in Sunday night’s 37-10 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s the longest field goal in Cowboys’ franchise history and Maher became the first kicker in league history to make three field goals of 60 yards or more.

“That’s exciting for me, but it’s just a fun night for all of us. That was a big win for us,” Maher said. “It was a pretty complete game. That’s what it is fun for me, to come into a locker room like this afterwards.”

The 63-yard field goal is tied for the second-longest in NFL history, behind Matt Prater’s 64-yard field goal in 2013. Six kickers have made a field goal from 63 yards.

Maher hit a 62-yard field goal last week against the Jets and a 62-yarder last December in Philadelphia.

He said the most important aspect of attempting a kick the far is getting a clean snap and hold from long snapper L.P. Ladouceur and holder Chris Jones. And then it’s all about getting a clean, flush kick while also adding a bit of power.

“You’re going to take a little bit harder swing at it,” Maher said. “And try to put a good, clean hit on it and hope it’s on-line.”

Maher is 9 of 12 on field goal attempts of 50 or more yards in his career, which is second-most in Cowboys’ history. Only Dan Bailey has more with 27.

NFL’s Longest Field Goals

Cowboys’ kicker Brett Maher has three of the 11 longest field goals in NFL history.

Stefan Stevenson

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Stefan Stevenson was a sports writer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram from 1997 to 2022. He covered TCU athletics, the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Cowboys.