HOUSTON, TEXAS — Jake Bates made two field goals of more than 50 yards in the fourth quarter, including a 52-yarder at the buzzer to give the Detroit Lions their first lead of the day and the 26-23 victory.

Bates kicked a 58-yard field goal earlier in the fourth quarter, then got another chance in a tie game on the final play of regulation. And while neither mark was safe, each sneaking inside the posts, there are no complaints.

It was a special moment for the 25-year-old Texan who began his college career at Texas State. Bates never attempted to score a field goal in college during his time at Texas State or Arkansas. He ended up with the Lions after impressing with the USFL’s Michigan Panthers last year, selling bricks for a living in the Houston area before realizing his football dreams.

“I mean, I think it almost seems too scripted,” Bates said, with a match ball in his arms, in the locker room. “Too good to be true.” I don’t like to go too far into what-ifs and just keep myself in the present moment and stay balanced as long as I can.

“I think it’s the first time – I’ve never been lifted (off the field) like that. It was pretty cool to see the sideline come and hug me and all that. It was a nice moment.

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Bates joins Matt Prater and Jason Hanson as the only Lions kickers to make multiple field goals longer than 52 yards in the same game, impressive company in these parts.

He said that in those high-pressure moments, he tried his best to treat him the same and “not make him bigger than he should be.”

The fact that the Lions had practiced this situation before this game helped fuel Bates in this high-pressure moment with his family and friends in the stands. Dan Campbell said they put the offense, then Bates, in a late-game away drill Thursday, and the result gave them all the good feelings heading into his big win.

“Goff hit Saint (Amon-Ra St. Brown) and got him to plus-43, and here we are with 1 second left in the timeout and rolled him over there, and he made it.” , Campbell said. “It was outside, there was a slight wind in our face. That’s the first thing I thought of when I arrived.

“And I look at him and I think, you know, here you go, and I felt good. I just had a feeling he was going to make it, and he did. He stepped in and succeeded. It was great.”

The young kicker has a special story. But nothing about his journey so far has been easy. Bates had to fight his way into this situation, making a name for himself with some booming kicks for the Michigan Panthers.

He also had to dig out of a rough hole early in his tenure with the Lions, enduring some brutal performances in practice during training camp. But the team stood by him every step of the way, saying they believed in his talent and noting that his demeanor made them feel like they had something special.

Now, Bates is probably looking at another NFC Special Teams Player of the Week after scoring these two big goals on the road in prime-time action. He’s 14 of 14 on field goal attempts to open his NFL career, his only blemish being an extra point in Week 3 at Arizona.

Campbell was asked if this was the most confidence he’s ever had in a kicker. Even though the head coach showed his love for Michael Badgley, his response was clear.

“I would say that’s a fair assessment,” he said. “We get some pretty long kicks here. I don’t particularly like doing this all the time, but sometimes you need it when you get into a game like this. He answered the doorbell.

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