Todd Archer, ESPN Editor-in-Chief
LAS VEGAS — Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey knew immediately he had caught the ball well on his right foot.
Aubrey’s 66-yard field goal in the Cowboys’ 27-12 preseason win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday night would have tied the NFL record set by the Baltimore Ravens’ Justin Tucker in 2021.
“It feels like nothing’s really there,” Aubrey said. “You get a little bounce on your foot, it sticks to your foot for a split second, and then it goes. It flies off, it jumps on your foot. And you know right away it was a good clean shot.”
In last week’s preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium, Aubrey’s 65-yard attempt was wide and potentially a bit short. After the game, coach Mike McCarthy considered giving Aubrey a chance to make a 72-yarder earlier in the game, but said, “Bones wasn’t feeling great,” referring to special teams coordinator John Fassel.
Trey Lance set up Aubrey’s 66-yard field goal with a 20-yard run, going on the ground with three seconds left at the Las Vegas 48.
Last year, Aubrey, a former first-round pick of MLS’s Toronto FC who started playing just a few years ago before landing with the USFL’s Philadelphia Stars, led the NFL in scoring with 157 points.
Last season, he shot 36 of 38, including a career-high 35 consecutive made shots to start his career. From 50-plus yards, he shot 10 of 10, including a 60-yarder against the Philadelphia Eagles.
“It’s a great weapon to have when you need to get to 50,” McCarthy said.
The shot landed in the net, but it’s unclear how far it would have been effective. According to Next Gen Stats, the shot had an 8% chance of success.
“It looked like there was still a lot left, that’s for sure,” McCarthy said.
Aubrey said: “I’m not entirely sure. It’s a little hard to see from up there.”
Aubrey could tell during pregame warmups that the ball was flying pretty well inside Allegiant Stadium.
“Coming here, there’s no wind, the conditions are perfect, the course is nice with a little bit of elevation, like in Vegas,” he said. “It’s a good place to play.”
Perhaps this is also the strength of the new dad.
Minutes after the Cowboys lost to the Rams, Aubrey was jogging toward Los Angeles International Airport for a flight home as his wife, Jenn, was about to give birth to their son, Colton.
“The game ended around 4:39 and I was at the terminal around 5:15,” Aubrey said. “I got there. I got home around 12:30 and we left for the hospital around 4:30. Not a lot of time. I didn’t sleep, and then I obviously didn’t sleep for the next two days. I just caught up and recovered.”
Aubrey returned to Oxnard, Calif., for training camp in time for Thursday’s practice.
“It was hectic,” he said. “It was tiring. But, you know, it was life-changing and it was exciting. I would probably say it was the best week of my life.”
When Aubrey returns from training camp on Thursday, he will have the football and his right cleat as gifts for his son.
“The shoe is almost ready to be used anyway, so it’s time to take it off,” he said.
So what’s the longest kick Aubrey has ever landed?
“I’m having fun by myself? 70 (yards),” he said.
In the regular season, McCarthy might not be bored after Saturday’s performance.
