After converting the key field goal in the Detroit Lions’s 24-23 pre-season win over the Kansas City Chiefs at the Arrowhead, new kicker Jake Bates received a great deal of praise from head coach Dan Campbell.
The former UFL star scored a 43-yard winning field goal to complete the victory, having also converted a 55-yard effort in the second quarter to go 4-4 with field goals in the tightly fought encounter.
Campbell said of the 24-year-old’s display,
“Jake Bates, that’s a big kick,”
“And so here we go, that’s two weeks in a row, he hits a 53 (last week against the New York Giants) and a 55-yarder, and then hits a game-winner. Every time he does something like that, you gain a little more confidence in him, so that was really good to see.” Campbell added.
After falling to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game last season, Detroit Lions fans will be hoping their team can build on their strong display in 2024. Fans who wish to back the team to go further into the postseason can get all the help they want with relation to the Michigan sportsbooks here, which will aid their pursuit of the best possible payout.
Bates looked shaky in his first preseason game when they lost out to the New York Giants, following which Campbell was keen to back the young talent,
“Anytime you, you know, it’s like small victories, right? That’s how you gain confidence, is demonstrated ability to do it,”
“We told him after we scrimmaged the other day, ‘Hey, we’re sticking with you, we’ll give you a chance to grow here and we’ll see how you respond.’ He was told that, I told him, (Dave) Fipp told him. So, I thought it was encouraging, the last two days and then tonight, for him to step up and hit that.” Campbell stated.
Well, it looks as if Bates certainly took all of that on board, and then some and the Texas-born star will hope to make a difference when the real business starts.
In December 2023, Bates signed with the Michigan Panthers in the UFL after he was released by the Houston Texans, and in March 2024, he scored a game-winning field goal from 64 yards against the St. Louis Battlehawks, which is the longest field goal in the history of the UFL.
He signed a two-year deal with the Lions in June and will hope to make a real impact in the NFL at Ford Field. Having arrived at Detroit, Bates will have expected to play second fiddle to Michael Badgley, but he suffered a season-ending injury during practice, with his apparent torn hamstring meaning he’ll have to have surgery. That leaves Bates as Campbell’s only kicker on the roster, and his performance against the Chiefs may well be all the evidence the Lions coach needed in terms of having full confidence in his ability to excel at the highest level.