With there only being three games left in the regular season, the pressure is on the Detroit Lions to win out, as they’re sitting on the outside of the playoff race. For the Lions to punch their ticket to the postseason, they need all three phases to be at their best, including special teams.
Kicker Jake Bates, who was one of the surprise stories for this team last year, has quietly taken a step back this season. In last week’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Bates missed a 43-yard field goal in the first quarter.
Now, that field goal didn’t come back to haunt the Lions, as Bates made his next two field goal opportunities from 24 and 48 yards out. He also went a perfect 4-for-4 on extra points. However, it's still concerning to see Bates struggle all of a sudden after making 89.7 percent of his field goals last season (26-of-29 FGs).
But Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp hasn’t lost faith in Bates. According to Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News, Fipp said on Wednesday that Bates is the most accurate kicker he’s ever been around. Fipp added that the Lions chart every practice.
Lions Still Have Faith in Jake Bates, but Questions Still Remain
If you’re a Lions fan, you have to take Fipp's words at face value, as he gets to see Bates every day at practice.
However, some fans wonder if Bates is dealing with a possible injury or if he’s just not 100% at this point in the season. In fact, Jimmy Liao, MD, pointed out in his postgame report after last week’s loss that Bates was struggling, missing kicks to left and right, which was odd, as they were indoors technically.
That said, Liao mentioned that the second-year kicker has been hit too many times, and he theorized that a “minor ache” could throw a wrench into his kicking mechanics.
Now, could this be a reason why Bates is struggling, and the Lions aren’t saying anything, as it hasn’t risen to the level of being on the injury report? It’s a possibility.
This season, Bates has been perfect on field goals between 20 and 39 yards, going 10-for-10, which is in line with what he did in 2024 (13-for-13). However, the longer distance is where he’s running into trouble.
From 40-plus yards out this season, Bates has converted those field goals at a 64.7 percent clip (11-of-17). Last year, that wasn’t an issue as he made 13-of-16 from that distance (81.7 percent).
Nonetheless, the Lions need to figure out how they can get Bates back on track quickly. With the season coming to a close, every game from here on out matters, and they can’t afford to miss points due to Bates missing a field goal in a crucial spot.