A field goal is worth 3 points in the NFL, whether it comes from 20 yards or 60. That much is simple. The strategy teams build around it isn’t. Fake field goals are designed to catch a defense sleeping. Icing the kicker is a decades-old tradition teams still lean on before a game-deciding attempt.
For the full mechanics of how field goals fit alongside every other scoring play, plus the current NFL distance record, see sportDA’s complete scoring guide. This piece goes deeper on the two things that turn a routine field goal attempt into real strategy, one small corner of the sport’s much larger rulebook.
Fake Field Goals: When Coaches Skip the Kick
A fake field goal replaces the kick with a run or pass just before the snap. Teams run it straight out of a normal field goal formation. The holder usually handles the ball himself, either running it or throwing to a receiver the defense forgot to cover. Teams count on defenses relaxing the moment they see the field goal unit jog onto the field. A well-designed fake exploits exactly that assumption.
The most famous version happened on the sport’s biggest stage. Seattle punter Jon Ryan took the snap during the 2014 NFC Championship Game. He threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to offensive tackle Garry Gilliam, a lineman nobody expected to see catching passes. An even rarer version has the kicker himself throw the ball instead of the holder. Detroit’s Matt Prater did exactly that in a 2018 game against Green Bay. He fired an 8-yard touchdown pass to Levine Toilolo on just his second career pass attempt in 169 games.
Icing the Kicker: Does It Actually Work?
Icing the kicker means calling a timeout right before the snap on a potential game-deciding field goal. The goal is simple: make the kicker wait and think about the attempt longer. Coaches have used this tactic for decades, especially late in close games when they still have a timeout available.
The research on whether it actually works is genuinely split. One widely cited study, published in the journal Chance, found kicks from 40 to 55 yards were about 10% less accurate when iced. Shorter attempts showed no measurable effect at all. Other researchers, including the authors of the book “Scorecasting,” reached a different conclusion. They found icing has no real effect once you strip out a key bias. Coaches mostly ice kickers on the longest, highest-pressure attempts to begin with, the exact kicks that would already be harder to make regardless of any timeout. A 2025 analysis using 25 years of play-by-play data found a raw 5-percentage-point gap between iced and non-iced kicks. Even that study flagged the same selection bias as the likely explanation, rather than the timeout itself.
Icing can also backfire outright. A late timeout sometimes hands the kicker a free practice attempt first. He gets to see exactly how the ball would have traveled before the real kick that counts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a field goal worth in the NFL?
Three points, regardless of distance. A field goal counts the same whether it’s a 20-yard chip shot or a kick near the edge of a kicker’s range.
What is a fake field goal?
A trick play run out of a normal field goal formation. The holder, or occasionally the kicker, runs or passes the ball instead of attempting the kick. It works by exploiting a defense that relaxes once it sees the field goal unit take the field.
Has a kicker ever thrown a touchdown pass on a fake field goal?
Yes, though it’s rare since the holder usually handles fakes instead. Detroit’s Matt Prater threw an 8-yard touchdown pass on a fake field goal in a 2018 game against Green Bay.
Does icing the kicker actually work?
The research is genuinely mixed. Some studies show a measurable drop in accuracy on long, high-pressure kicks. Others argue that the effect disappears once you account for coaches icing kickers only on the toughest attempts to begin with.
What was the most famous fake field goal in NFL history?
Seattle punter Jon Ryan’s 19-yard touchdown pass to offensive lineman Garry Gilliam during the 2014 NFC Championship Game. It worked specifically because nobody expected a lineman to be a receiving target.
What is a field goal worth in the NFL, and why do coaches sometimes avoid kicking it at all? Three points on paper. A fake field goal or a poorly timed icing attempt can still swing an entire game before the ball ever reaches the uprights, though. Both tactics exist for the same reason. A routine 3-point play is never quite as automatic as the scoreboard makes it look.
