Younghoe Koo has been arguably the best kicker in the NFL in 2020, and he now has made more field goals in a single season than any other kicker in Falcons' history.
With a 52-yard field goal in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Koo's total for the season reached 35, placing him one ahead of Matt Bryant, who made 34 field goals in both 2016 and 2017. The NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for November, Koo entered the weekend leading the NFL in points scored, and he hadn't missed a field goal since Week 3 - his only miss of the season.
It's possible Koo could end the year with more made field goals in a single season than any other kicker in league history. The current record holder is David Akers, who made 44 field goals for the San Francisco 49ers during the 2011 season. Koo has proven to be extremely accurate so far this year, and he's gotten plenty of chances to kick the ball as Atlanta's offense has struggled in the red zone.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about Koo's season, however, is that it's come from a player who had previously been cut by both the Chargers and the New England Patriots. What looked to be a journeyman career delivered him to Atlanta in 2019 as a replacement for Bryant, arguably the team's biggest fan favorite. Koo proved up to the challenge, hitting 23 of his 26 attempts during Atlanta's final eight games.
Now, Koo has surpassed the man he replaced in the Falcons' history books and stands alone as the team's all-time field goal leader.
