Patriots' Joey Slye hits fourth-longest field goal in NFL history: Why it's one of the most impressive ever

The New England Patriots haven't done much right against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, but Joey Slye did come up with one of the most impressive plays of the game.

Just before halftime, the Patriots decided to take a gamble by sending Slye out to attempt a 63-yard field goal, and he made the gamble pay off by absolutely drilling the kick, which gave the Patriots their only points of the first half.

The kick by Slye was impressive because it was tied for the fourth-longest field goal in NFL history. It was also the second-longest field goal by any kicker since the start of the 2022 season, trailing only the monster 65-yard field goal that Brandon Aubrey hit earlier this season for the Dallas Cowboys .

Justin Tucker holds the NFL record for longest field goal at 66 yards, which he pulled off against the Detroit Lions in September 2021. Aubrey's kick was the second-longest while Matt Prater has the third-longest kick in league history with a 64-yarder that he hit back in 2013.

Although Slye didn't break the distance record, his kick was one of the most impressive in NFL history because it came outdoors. Tucker's record kick and Aubrey's long kick both came indoors. As for Prater, his field goal came in Denver, where long kicks are a little bit easier to hit due to the thin air in the mile high city.

Slye's kick was the longest outdoor field goal in the NFL since 2018 when Panthers kicker Graham Gano beat the Giants with a 63-yard kick.

Slye's field goal was just the fourth in NFL history that came from 63 yards or longer that came outdoors, but not in Denver.

Not much else has gone right for the Patriots in Week 4, but they did get to see a rarity with Slye's 63-yard field goal.