Bengals backup kicker Cade York made history against the Browns

Cade York faced obstacles greater than wind and distance when he made history and tied the Cincinnati Bengals’ record for the franchise’s longest successful field goal.

York had to endure several moments of indecision from his own head coach Zac Taylor just before attempting the kick against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Then he had to beat defensive end Myles Garrett – no easy task for any player at any position, and especially for NFL kickers.

Garrett, York’s former teammate in Cleveland, disrupted the minutes before the free kick simply because of the threat it posed and the concern it caused Taylor. Garrett had the athleticism and experience to potentially turn the field goal attempt into a play that could have ended the Bengals’ slender playoff hopes.

York pulled ahead against the Cleveland Browns at the end of the first half, kicking a 59-yard field goal to tie kicker Evan McPherson for the longest successful field goal in Bengals history. Cincinnati went into halftime with a 17-0 lead. The Bengals (7-8) won 24-6 to keep their AFC Wild Card playoff hopes alive.

York is backing the highly paid McPherson, a Bengals captain who missed the last three games due to injury. But backup or not, York’s name is now etched indelibly into team history. He’s right next to McPherson, who hit a 59-yarder in 2022.

However, York’s great chance to practice the kick, which he fired from the center of the Bengals’ “B” logo at midfield into the north end zone of Paycor Stadium, was almost wasted by Taylor in favor of a punt.

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Taylor led 14-0 on fourth-and-14 and only had one play in the first half. At first he wasn’t sure how best to take advantage of the situation. There were shouts in the press box and in the stands for a “Hail Mary” throw from Joe Burrow into the end zone. For some, that seemed like a low-risk option given Ja’Marr Chase’s ability to go up and grab catches, but not for Taylor.

“To be honest, I don’t like the ‘Hail Mary’ in this situation,” Taylor explained.

Taylor didn’t seem to like any of his options. He initially called for a punt, but then called a timeout. After reconsidering, Taylor called for a field goal – the final decision. But he made this decision with great trepidation.

What bothered Taylor about the field goal was Garrett, as the 28-year-old Texas A&M player and reigning Defensive Player of the Year has a track record of blowing up field goals.

Garrett crossed the entire line of scrimmage several times during the regular season, reappeared in the backfield of the kicking team and stuffed their kicks. He did it in 2023 against the Indianapolis Colts and even more impressively on October 13 against the Philadelphia Eagles when the Eagles attempted a 57-yarder.

Against the Eagles, the ensuing loose ball was scooped up for a Browns touchdown return, meaning Philadelphia was rewarded for its long field goal attempt with a shocking 10-point thrashing courtesy of Garrett. This was the game that concerned Taylor the most.

“What’s going through my mind is Myles Garrett blocked a kick at halftime of the Eagles game and kind of turned the tide there,” Taylor said. “That’s what happens on some of these longer field goals. You’re a little torn. It had nothing to do with Cade or anything. That was the direction we felt better about shooting from a longer distance and getting a shot at the end of the half. It’s more the impact that Myles has. He blocks kicks in the longer situations that can change the game.”

“Nobody’s trying to stop you, Myles.”

York said he tried to focus on everything but Garrett, but he has already had several Garrett kicks blocked in his career. No one saw the blocks publicly, but they still left an impression on York.

York entered the NFL in 2021 with the Browns. There he was Garrett’s teammate and Garrett practiced blocking York’s field goals. Garrett is primarily paid to sack quarterbacks, but York also described his former teammate’s apparent fascination with trying to blow up plays on special teams.

At times, Garrett’s fixation on blocking field goals even affected York’s own work in practice.

“Funny story. My first year in Cleveland, Myles practices this (blocking kicks) and we called it that in practice, but when you call it that in practice, you usually don’t actually do it,” York said. “Literally, I’m not kidding, probably five times this season he skipped the snap in the middle of practice and just blocked my kick. Nobody’s trying to stop you, Myles, and he just ate it, about twelve feet away.

“I’m like, ‘Hey, I’m trying to do kicks in practice too, you idiot. Leave me alone.'”

York on his historic moment: “It’s pretty cool”

After York saw that Taylor had called in the field goal attempt and was back on the field, the Browns called a timeout to try to freeze York. It didn’t work.

York said he put everything he had into the kick. This was evident when the ball appeared to clear the crossbar of the goal post by a yard or two. Taylor smiled from ear to ear.

“It was like any other kick. Just a little colder and a little further,” York said.

Kickers are increasingly making field goals over 50 yards routine. And with McPherson’s future secured in Cincinnati, it’s not hard to imagine York’s collective record one day falling. But even then, his kick will surely retain a place in Bengals history.

You can imagine that decades from now, bar trivia hosts will be asking Cincinnatians the name of the backup kicker who kicked what was then the furthest field goal in franchise history.

York, who has been friendly and reserved in his interviews since arriving with the team in early December, expressed almost indifference about the impact of his 59-yard kick for the playoff-hopeful Bengals.

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