Once again, Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates proved why he ended up in the NFL by coming up with big kick after big kick in Sunday Night Football.

The former Michigan Panthers kicker was called twice in the fourth quarter for making long field goals. Bates first hit a 58-yarder to tie the game 23-23 against the Houston Texans. He was then asked to make the winning 52-yard field goal to end the game, which he narrowly sneaked through to win the game for Detroit 26–23.

“I just don’t deserve this,” Bates said after the game. “I was a football player growing up, I idolized football players in the NFL and all that stuff, and just to be here is surreal. I still find myself pinching myself a little bit. I’m so grateful for all the doors that the door opens. Lord has opened for me.”

The first season in Detroit was memorable for Bates, who didn’t miss any of his 14 field goals. His 58-yard kick on Sunday was his longest of the season, and he’s missed just one extra point in 33 attempts. This was his second game-winning field goal of the season; he also did it last month against the Minnesota Vikings.

Bates first made a name for himself by hitting a game-winning 64-yard field goal in the UFL with the Panthers in Week 1 against the St. Louis Battlehawks. Bates made 17 of 22 field goals in the UFL, earning him a spot on the All-UFL team at the end of the season.

The legendary story of Jake Bates continues to take the NFL by storm and provides hope that the UFL can continue to produce great talent for the NFL.

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