Lions kicker Jake Bates has a teammate to blame for first missed FG

Jake Bates’ first missed field goal of the season was actually blocked – by his own teammate.

Detroit Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp said Bates' missed 46-yard field goal off the left upright in a win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Nov. 1, glanced off holder Jack Fox’s hand.

“It was unfortunate,” Fipp said. “No one really knows this, but ultimately the ball ended up kind of hitting Fox's down hand. So his hand was a little bit in the way on the thing, so he really hit a good ball. It didn't look like that obviously to us and hitting the upright, but that was really the cause of it.”

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Bates is 12-for-13 on field goals this year with a long of 54 yards. He’s also a perfect 23-for-23 on extra points after making just 79.4% of his field goals and missing two extra points last year.

“It’s a downer for him but like I said to those guys, ultimately Fox has done a great job of getting some balls down and making Bates’ job easy, too,” Fipp said. “So it goes both ways. We've got to learn from it and do better.”

Graduation party

Drew Petzing wanted to get Sione Vaki more involved against the Vikings, but the running back’s career-high 11-carry, 65-yard game was fueled by the success he was having carrying the ball.

“You always want your second running back to touch the ball and affect the game for a number of different reasons,” Petzing said. “But then as you start having success and you see his energy and his momentum, there's definitely that, like, 'Oh, we're rolling a little bit. I got to keep this guy going.' And I think he brought that spark a little bit, just the way he was finishing runs, running through contact. You could see him getting up with a little bit of motion.

“I think the fans got behind him a little bit. And I can't say that didn't lead to another carry or two. I'd be lying if I said that, but I thought he did a really nice job.”

Vaki had 16 carries for 56 yards in the Lions’ first six games, when he played primarily on special teams.

Fipp said he was happy to see a player who has been so important to the Lions’ kicking game play such a role on offense in a big victory, too.

“I call it graduating,” Fipp said. “You're starting to graduate and work yourself up the ladder. People are starting to realize what you can do and bring to the table. He's obviously been a great player. It's no surprise to me that the guy's a good running back, too. But yeah, there's nothing like seeing it. It's like watching your kid out there, a guy that you've been close to and worked a lot with and hasn't had the chances carrying the ball and doing that stuff that he's wanted, I'm sure, forever, but he got the opportunity and made the most of it, was definitely gratifying.”

Love letters

Cade Mays missed his second straight practice Thursday, Nov. 5, with an ankle injury, making it more likely the Lions will start Juice Scruggs at center this week against the Miami Dolphins.

Petzing said trying to pick a starting five once Mays returns – Scruggs played well at center the first five games when Mays was out with a wrist injury, and the Lions had their best rushing half of the season with Scruggs in the lineup against the Vikings – will be “a challenge you would love to have.”

“I'd love to have 10 linemen that I thought are premier starters,” Petzing said. “And I say that, but that's true. So to me, I don't look at it as a challenge, it's an opportunity. And it's a challenge to those guys to play at your best, to prove that you should be out there. And I think those guys embrace that. I think that you see that during the week, you see that on Sunday, which was great and just need that to continue at a high level.”

Jack Campbell (neck), D.J. Reed (hip) and DJ Wonnum (concussion) also did not practice Thursday, and Kerby Joseph (knee), Amon-Ra St. Brown (shoulder) and Jacob Saylors (hip) were limited.

Brian Branch was listed as a full participant in his return from a brain injury.

Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions kicker Jake Bates has a teammate to blame for first missed FG