# Has anyone ever missed an extra point in football? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 24, 2002, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-missed-an-extra-point-in-football/138415 "2002-11-24T00:45:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Blunt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Blunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blunt)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-missed-an-extra-point-in-football/138415/41 "2002-11-25T02:24:26Z")
It looks like there’s at least 3 people watching the game and surfing the 'net at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-missed-an-extra-point-in-football/138415/42 "2002-11-25T03:06:15Z")
Actually, BobT, I was talking about the 2001 Indiana team, remember I said Cameron was the coach. Granted, IU’s kicking game isn’t setting the world on fire this year, but check out last year’s stats; believe me, they were worse. Hell, I remember IU missing 3 PAT’s in one game I saw. And, as a Colts fan, I want to think the rest of the SDMB for jinxing Elam. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-missed-an-extra-point-in-football/138415/43 "2002-11-25T03:12:39Z")
Damn, Denver is on our 20. Elam’s miss may be the only job the Colts have tonight unless Manning & Co. kick it in gear. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-missed-an-extra-point-in-football/138415/44 "2002-11-25T04:52:22Z")
…and the Colts win in OT! Elam’s miss really did make the difference. Never doubt the power of the SDMB. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Carcosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@Carcosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carcosa)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-missed-an-extra-point-in-football/138415/45 "2002-11-25T04:56:43Z")
Whoopee!!! I’m a big Colts fan. However, I think I had a heart attack so now I have to go crack open a bottle of Jack Daniels. ---
**Author:** ![cmosdes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cmosdes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmosdes)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-missed-an-extra-point-in-football/138415/46 "2002-11-25T05:03:06Z")
**Flymaster** - Would you mind posting that it has been over 643 days since I’ve had mind blowing, can’t walk for three days sex with a woman that looks exactly like Veronika Zemanova. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-missed-an-extra-point-in-football/138415/47 "2002-11-25T06:01:44Z")
I used to love Elam so much. I wanted to marry him and have his field-goal kicking babies. Now I hate him. ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-missed-an-extra-point-in-football/138415/48 "2002-11-25T06:18:10Z")
🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-missed-an-extra-point-in-football/138415/49 "2002-11-25T06:19:27Z")
Ahh, I see. In 2001, Indiana was 33 of 41 on PATs. And an impressive 2 of 9 in FG attempts! ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-missed-an-extra-point-in-football/138415/50 "2002-11-25T10:19:31Z")
Atlanta missed the extra point after its last touchdown against Carolina yesterday. Final score was 41-0 – perhaps the kicker was getting tired. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-missed-an-extra-point-in-football/138415/51 "2002-11-25T17:39:25Z")
PatrickM: I think the Colts-Denver just showed why the PAT is a small but vital part of the game. Had Elam made that first PAT, the Colts would have been down 21-17 at the end and Manning would have had to throw for a TD from the 36. Instead, Elam missed and Vandy had a chance to send the game into overtime. Most of the time the PAT is automatic, but a miss can be important. Glad to seen another Colts fan, Carcosa. Man, what a game. Marvin Harrison sets a record for most seasons in a row with 100+ catches and Vandy boots two big ones in the snow yet. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-missed-an-extra-point-in-football/138415/52 "2002-11-26T03:45:02Z")
Excuse an ignorant Canuck’s question, but how far does the kick have to go for a point after in the NFL? Where does the ball get kicked from, and how far back are the goal posts? (The reason I ask is that under CFL rules, the goal posts are on the goal line and the kick is usually from about the 14 yard marker, so 1 point converts are almost always made.) ---
**Author:** ![Cabbage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Cabbage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabbage)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-missed-an-extra-point-in-football/138415/53 "2002-11-26T10:23:43Z")
For the extra point, the ball is placed on the three yard line. The goal posts are ten yards back from the goal line, and when the play starts the ball is snapped back an additional seven yards to the holder–all adding up to 20 yards from the kick to the goal posts. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7feea3/32.png) [@PatrickM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickM)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-missed-an-extra-point-in-football/138415/54 "2002-11-26T13:57:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Peyote Coyote \* > \*\*PatrickM: I think the Colts-Denver just showed why the PAT is a small but vital part of the game. Had Elam made that first PAT, the Colts would have been down 21-17 at the end and Manning would have had to throw for a TD from the 36. Instead, Elam missed and Vandy had a chance to send the game into overtime. > \ > \*\* Sorry, but I’m not convinced. Missing a PAT in an NFL game is a fluke and one fluke that effects the outcome of one game in a long NFL season is not worth keeping around, in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-missed-an-extra-point-in-football/138415/55 "2002-11-26T14:14:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BobT \* > \*\*High school kickers miss extra points at a much higher than 10% rate if you figure in EVERY high school team. > > Only a select few high school teams have dependable kickers and that gets filtered down more at the college level and more in the NFL. > > I would put the make rate in high school at 60-70% > > Some teams don’t even have place kickers and just go for two all the time. \*\* The kicker for my high school went his entire career on the senior team without missing a PAT; I think he hit something like 38 in a row, a phenomenal streak for a high school kicker. Somewhat to my surprise, he’s not in the CFL or anything. Maybe he didn’t have the distance to make the bigs. Northern Piper: > [@](#): > > Excuse an ignorant Canuck’s question, but how far does the kick have to go for a point after in the NFL? Where does the ball get kicked from, and how far back are the goal posts? (The reason I ask is that under CFL rules, the goal posts are on the goal line and the kick is usually from about the 14 yard marker, so 1 point converts are almost always made.) In The NFL, the goal posts are in the BACK of the end zone, which in the NFL is 10 yards from the goal line. (For you Yanks, Canadian football has 20-yard-deep end zones.) The ball’s snapped at the 2, I believe, and it’s snapped back 7 yards or so, so basically it’s the same distance. ---
**Author:** ![aahala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@aahala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aahala)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-missed-an-extra-point-in-football/138415/56 "2002-11-26T15:30:51Z")
My earilest comment that the HS failure rate was 10% was directly out of my back side. But it was based upon my knowledge that some HS kickers have Pro like success rates, 20 or more in a row. I doubt BobT’s guess of 60-70% is true, but I’ll be the first to eat my words should the facts be shown to me. To have such an overall rate in the light of some very high rates on some teams require some teams have a failure rate below the 60-70%. A rational coach, if there are any, would conclude not to try for one point by kicking but simply to try for two each time. The poor kicking team could fail say 40% by kicking but fail 70% by trying for two each time, with the same expected number of points. So it’s my belief there won’t be many teams with 40% failure rates. ---
**Author:** ![Fleetwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fleetwood/32/271_2.png) [@Fleetwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fleetwood)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-missed-an-extra-point-in-football/138415/57 "2002-11-26T16:53:23Z")
Personally, I have missed hundreds of extra points. After a touchdown and before the commercial is usually the best time to get to the washroom ahead of the crowd! ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-missed-an-extra-point-in-football/138415/58 "2002-11-26T17:13:38Z")
Actually in the NFL, extra points are taken from the 2 yard line. In college and high school football, they are taken from the 3 yard line. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-missed-an-extra-point-in-football/138415/59 "2002-11-26T17:53:14Z")
Where were extra points kicked from in the NFL before they moved the goalposts back in 1970’s? ---
**Author:** ![nineiron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e56c9b/32.png) [@nineiron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nineiron)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2002, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-missed-an-extra-point-in-football/138415/60 "2002-11-26T18:22:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PatrickM \* > \*\*The place-kick PAT in pro football is so routine and automatic that it ought to be eliminated. Just make touchdowns worth 7 points. That’s more an IMHO and not a fact, of course, but what the heck. \*\* If it were routine and automatic, this thread wouldn’t exist. It should be almost automatic, but nothing in sports is automatic–not an extra point, not a free throw, not even an intentional walk. People make mistakes. I do think that the NFL did a good thing a couple of years ago by instituting the 2-point conversion, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-missed-an-extra-point-in-football/138415.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-missed-an-extra-point-in-football/138415.md?page=4)