National Football League

Jacksonville Jaguars' Jamal Agnew joins ranks of longest plays in NFL history

Published Sep. 26, 2021 6:11 p.m. ET

When Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury opted to let kicker Matt Prater attempt a 68-yard field goal against Jacksonville on Sunday, it wasn’t as bizarre a decision as it might have seemed at first glance.

After all, Prater did hold (until Sunday, more below) the record for the longest field goal in NFL history, a 64-yarder he hit for Denver in 2013. What’s four more yards?

What Kingsbury might not have anticipated, however, is what might happen if Prater came up short, if the kick landed in bounds, and what Jacksonville's Jamal Agnew might do with it if he were to catch it.

No way he would return it 109 yards for a touchdown, right? Oops.

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Agnew’s play dazzled viewers – with a big assist from FOX Sports’ Gus Johnson – and tied a record for the longest play in NFL history.

The first player to go 109 yards was Antonio Cromartie of the Chargers, who returned a missed field goal for a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings in 2007.

Cordarrelle Patterson matched that distance in 2013 for the Vikings, though his came on a kickoff return against the Green Bay Packers.

That’s it. Those three players. And they hold a record that will never be broken, as 110 yards would mean you’re standing on the end line.

To celebrate Agnew’s feat, let’s take a look at some of the other longest plays in NFL history.

Longest field goal: 66 yards

As mentioned above, Prater set the record for longest field goal back in 2013. On Sunday, Justin Tucker broke it, bouncing the ball off, and over, the crossbar for a 66-yarder. It also won the game. What timing!

Longest non-scoring play: 104 yards

Percy Harvin of the Vikings returned a kick 104 yards against the Atlanta Falcons in 2011 before being pushed down at about the 3-yard line.

Detroit’s Ameer Abdullah matched that distance against the Packers in 2015, his dive coming up tantalizingly short of the goal line.

Longest run by a quarterback: 93 yards

The Raiders’ Terrelle Pryor stunned the Steelers by dashing 93 yards right up the middle for a touchdown in 2013.

Longest run from scrimmage: 99 yards

Dallas Cowboys great Tony Dorsett torched the Vikings for a 99-yard touchdown run in 1983.

Thirty-five years later, Tennessee’s Derrick Henry simply refused to be tackled, matching the feat against the Jaguars.

Longest pass: 99 yards

This has been accomplished 13 times, most recently by the Giants’ Eli Manning, who threw a short pass to Victor Cruz and let his teammate do the rest against the Jets in 2011.

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