Australian NFL star Tory Taylor has been hailed online for producing the ‘greatest play in NFL history’ after he produced a stand-out performance with the boot to help the Chicago Bears clinch their second victory of the season.
The Melbourne product, who was snapped up by the Bears in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, came on late in the fourth quarter to help his side hold on to a 24-18 lead against the Los Angeles Rams with ajust over a minute left on the clock.
With the Bears weathering a storm of pressure from their opponents, Taylor took to the field in hopes he could push the Rams back away from his side’s end zone.
The 27-year-old produced a monster kick from his own 45-yard line driving the Rams back to their own 10-yard line before bouncing out of bounds.
The kick meant that Los Angeles would have to work their way back up the entire length of the field to snatch a last-gasp winning touchdown, but ultimately, the epic punt helped the Bears seal the win.
The kicker had in fact spent three years on Hawthorn’s list before being cut in 2020, before moving to play for college football for Iowa.
Several American commentators took to social media to marvel at the stunning work of the Aussie, with CBS Sports reporter Tom Fornelli notably being left starstruck by the kicker’s monster boot.
‘This is the greatest play in NFL history,’ he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Australian NFL kicker Tory Taylor has been hailed online for helping the Chicago Bears claim their second win of the season
Taylor produced several huge punts but notably came on in the fourth term to help Chicago weather a storm of pressure from
The punter came on to produce a massive punt with a minute left to go on the clock to help the bears hold out against the Rams
In fact, Taylor’s punt was so good, ESPN had increased the probability of a Bears from 75.7 per cent to 72.7 per cent.
Several others took to the social media platform to laud the punter, including NFL Draft analyst Jacob Infante, who wrote on X: ‘That’s why you take a punter as good as Tory in the fourth round.’
It wasn’t just a one-off kick either as earlier in the quarter, the Bears kicker had also laced a stunning 66-yard boot, again pinning the Rams back in their half.
‘Punters matter Chicago. Wow. Impressive,’ another wrote on X, while several X users added: ‘Best punter in the league.’
‘Just give all of the Rookie of the Year awards to Tory Taylor. It just saves time,’ another wrote.
The 27-year-old laced the ball back downfield alleviating the pressure on the Bears defence
Taylor was selected as a fourth-round pick in the NFL draft earlier in 2024 and many think he’s proving his weight in gold
Several X users took to the social media platform to lump praise on the Australian kicker
After his monumental fourth quarter punt, ESPN had reportedly increased the Bears’ winning chances from 75.7 per cent to 82.7 per cent
‘It’s obviously a pretty special feeling,’ the Australian said to 670 The Score after the match.
‘A lot goes into that one specific play. So, for us to kind of go out there and dominate field position for our team, we’re obviously pretty ecstatic.’
