All eyes were on Tyler Bass as the Buffalo Bills kicker stepped up to attempt his 61-yard field goal on Sunday, and it’s fair to wonder what the confidence level was at Highmark Stadium considering Bass’ ups and downs this season.
As Bass lined up the kick with 10 seconds remaining, and the Bills and Miami Dolphins tied at 27-all, he tried to focus on what mattered most to him.
"Just reminding myself that I love this, I love the sport," he said after the game, per the Bills' official site. “This is what I've dreamed of.”
Bass’ kick was true -- and he made it with plenty of distance, too -- and it led to a 30-27 victory, putting the Bills in the driver’s seat for the AFC East crown. It was also a career-long kick, besting his previous high of 58 yards in his rookie season of 2020.
"Was just focused on right here, right now, the present and being patient with everything,” Bass said. “Man, you know you're gonna go through ups and downs, but just continue to put your best foot forward. We did that today. So, (it was) just very emotional."
Highmark Stadium erupted after the field goal. Bills fans had witnessed Bass’ inconsistencies this season, including on Sunday, when he missed an extra-point try and had another one hit the upright and luckily bounce through.
Bass also missed a field goal and an extra point in a narrow win over the Jets in Week 7. He’s now missed three field-goal tries and three extra-point attempts in nine games.
The Bills had kicker tryouts a few weeks ago and signed Lucas Havrisik to the practice squad as a measure of insurance and also as a source for a competition in practice. But the Bills cut Havrisik last week, showing their improved confidence in Bass.
"Here's a young man that has been going through it, and the journey that he's been on week to week, the questions that have been asked of him," Bills head coach Sean McDermott said after the win. "I think it's a great example of mental toughness. I think it's a great example of perseverance, resilience.
“And for young kids out there, here's a player that was under the microscope pretty darn hard. And we brought a player in here to compete with him midseason and he didn't back down."
It was his first big kick of the season, and Bass’ stunning miss in the final minute of last season's divisional-round playoff loss to the Chiefs remains a fresh wound. But Bass has earned a reputation as a clutch kicker with his body of work, with Sunday’s game-winner his eighth straight regular-season make in eight tries in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime in his career.
Bass has also made 16 straight field goals with a chance to tie or take the lead in the second half, which is the longest active streak in the NFL.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who threw three second-half touchdown passes in the win, said he was choked up watching his long-time teammate deliver when the Bills needed him most.
"So proud of him. So happy for him," Allen said. "Got emotional in my little postgame speech out there, just the trials and tribulations that he's been in throughout this year. It's what stories are made of.
“And I love him. I respect him so much. Everybody in that locker room is so happy for him, and he's our guy."