Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy denies his kicker a shot at NFL history

Brandon Aubrey insists he can make a field goal from 70 yards, but his head coach must not believe him.

The Dallas Cowboys second-year kicker should have had that shot on Sunday in Cleveland; at a minimum he should have tied the league record for the longest field goal in NFL history. Might want to throw his head coach under the team plane on this one, too.

“Kicker talk” is typically an ender to any football conversation, but we’re talking about the most powerful leg the NFL has ever seen. Aubrey’s long field goal attempts are actually worth watching.

By the time Aubrey lined up for a 66-yard field goal with four seconds remaining in the first half of the Cowboys’ win on Sunday in Cleveland, he was already 2-for-2. He made a kicks of 57 and 40 yards before lining up for his 66-yard attempt.

Aubrey’s kick from 66 yards cleared the crossbar by maybe five yards.

The kick should have tied Justin Tucker’s NFL record 66-yard field goal that he made for the Baltimore Ravens to defeat the Lions in Detroit in September 2021.

This Aubrey kick, however, didn’t count. It was nullified as the Cowboys were penalized 5 yards for a delay of game.

The other frustrating detail to this development, the Cowboys had a timeout they could have used to avoid the penalty. But Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy didn’t call it.

After the officials moved the ball back 5 yards, Aubrey remained on the field with the kicking unit. He was stretching his back before what would have been a 71-yard attempt.

Watching a kicker warmup to potentially try a 71-yard kick looked ridiculous, but Aubrey is the one guy who can make it. With Aubrey’s leg, and accuracy, you can’t rule it out.

The Browns put a returner in front of the goal post, and then McCarthy ruled this historic scenario out.

“I’m not sure that conversation (happened); all I know is (punter/holder Bryan Anger) told me that they asked me if we wanted it and he said, ‘Probably not,’” Aubrey said after the game.

Asked if he thought he could have made it from 71, “We’ll never know,” he said. “In the moment, I didn’t know. I thought it was still 66. I thought they had called timeout. It’s hard to say how I would have reacted out there, but probably the right call on the day and the conditions.”

McCarthy took the kicking game out, and put the offensive in for quarterback Dak Prescott to try a “Hail Mary” pass that fell incomplete. It was boring, but the “right” football decision.

“I just got a little nervous when they put the returner back there on the 71 or the 72,” McCarthy said.

For the record, when asked if he wants to try a 70-yard kick, Aubrey said, “Absolutely.”

Aubrey said he has no input on these decisions. It’s all between McCarthy and special team coach John “Bones” Fassel.

Late in the third quarter, Aubrey made a 50-yard field goal. Early in the fourth quarter, he added a 46-yard field goal.

Aubrey should have tied the NFL record on Sunday, and had his coach had just a tick more faith his kicker might have had a 71-yarder, too.