The 5 best kickers in Cincinnati Bengals history

Kicker is an often underrated, yet extremely important, position in the NFL. Not only can a kicker make or break a game for a team with his ability to knock one through the uprights, but the can also help their team win the field position game with some well-placed boots. The Cincinnati Bengals have had quite a few very good kickers over their history. Here, we'll look at the five best.

Criteria for selection

This is a subjective list, but with kickers specifically it's largely based on statistics, as it's difficult to distinguish between them otherwise. Playoff success is also factored in, but only to a certain degree. The order of the kickers on this list is certainly debatable, and subject to change in the future, and that's part of the fun. Let's get into it.

The 5 best kickers in Bengals history

5. Doug Pelfrey (1993-1999)

Doug Pelfrey played his entire NFL career as a member of the Bengals, and he certainly made the most of his time with the team. In 111 career games, Pelfrey made 153 field goals and 201 extra points -- both of those numbers are the fourth-highest in franchise history. He also has the fourth-most career points in team history with 660. Unfortunately, Pelfrey never got to play in any playoff games with the Bengals, as the team suffered through a postseason drought during his entire tenure.

Durability and accuracy were additional characteristics of Pelfrey, as he missed just one game and converted his field goal attempts at 77 percent over the course of his career.

4. Evan McPherson (2021-present)

Evan McPherson has played just three seasons with the Bengals so far, but he's already established himself as one of the better kickers in team history. He's converted 83 percent of the field goal attempts in his career (78 of 93), including going an impressive 21 of 28 on kicks over 50 yards. He has also converted the two longest field goals in team history at 59 and 58 yards.

McPherson is clutch, too. He's played in seven playoff games and he went a perfect 19-for-19 on field goal attempts in those games. He has a bright future in Cincinnati, and he could potentially set some franchise records before he's done.

3. Mike Nugent (2010-2016)

Mike Nugent made his mark with the Bengals during his seven seasons with the franchise. He has the third-most made field goals in franchise history with 157, and he's one extra point shy of being tied for second in team history with 247 XPs converted. He also has the second-most kickoffs in franchise history with 508. He played in four total playoff games with the Bengals and converted four of five field goal attempts in those contests while also making all four of his extra point attempts.

2. Shayne Graham (2003-2009)

Although Shayne Graham placed for a bunch of teams, his best years came as a Bengal. Graham is second in Bengals franchise history in both made field goals (177) and extra points converted (248). Graham was also extremely accurate, as he connected on 86% of his field goal attempts and 98% of his extra point attempts over the course of his career.

Graham was named to the Pro Bowl as a member of the Bengals in 2005 and he was named Second-Team All-Pro that same year. He was also named to Cincinnati's 40th Anniversary Team, and he's the team's second all-time leading scorer.

1. Jim Breech (1980-1992)

Jim Breech is the most productive kicker in Bengals history. He's the team's all-time leading scorer with 1,151 total points scored, and he's the only Bengals player to ever eclipse the 1,000-point mark. He also holds the record for most made field goals (225) and extra points (476) in team history.

Breech was also extremely clutch. He played in two Super Bowls with the Bengals and went perfect in both of them, including scoring 10 of the team's 16 points in Super Bowl XXIII. Per the Bengals, he's also the only kicker in NFL history who has attempted nine or more overtime field goals and made them all.