<Li> The game is in overtime, and a FG is the quickest, easiest, and least risky way to end the match . </Li> <P> Except in desperate situations, a team will generally attempt field goals only when keeping a drive alive is unlikely, and its kicker has a significant chance of success, as a missed field goal results in a turnover at the spot of the kick (in the NFL) or at the line of scrimmage (in the NCAA). In American high school rules and Canadian football, where a missed field goal is treated the same as a punt, most teams still opt not to attempt field goals from very long range since field goal formations are not conducive to covering kick returns . Even under ideal conditions, the best professional kickers historically had difficulty making kicks longer than 50 yards consistently (the NFL record is 64 yards and the CFL record, 62 yards). If a team chooses not to attempt a field goal on their last down, they can punt to the other team . A punt cannot score any points in American football unless the receiving team touches the ball first and the kicking team recovers it (though it can result in a single in Canadian football), but it may push the other team back toward its own end . </P> <P> The longest field goal kick in NFL history is 64 yards, a record set by Matt Prater on December 8, 2013 . The previous record was 63, originally set by Tom Dempsey and then matched by Jason Elam, Sebastian Janikowski, and David Akers . High school, college and most professional football leagues offer only a three - point field goal; however, some professional leagues have encouraged more rare kicks through four - point field goals . NFL Europe encouraged long field goals of 50 yards or more by making those worth four points instead of three (much like Australian rules' Super Goal or basketball's three - point line), a rule since adopted by the Stars Football League . Similarly, the sport of arena football sought (unsuccessfully) to repopularize the drop kick by making that worth four points; it failed, since only one kicker (Brian Mitchell) was able to do it with any semblance of proficiency . (In six - man football, where there is no offensive line, all field goals are worth four points instead of the usual three .) </P> <P> The overall field goal percentage during the 2010 NFL season was 82.3 . In comparison, Jan Stenerud, one of only two pure kickers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (along with Ray Guy), had a career field goal percentage of 66.8 from 1967 to 1985 . </P>

Who holds the record for the longest field goal