FG Made: How to Read a Football Kicking Line
FG made means successful field goals. Learn how FGM differs from attempts, percentage and extra points, with David Akers’s 2011 season as an example.
FG made means field goals made—the number of successful field goals credited to a kicker or team. It is a count of kicks, not points, attempts or yards. The NFL’s statistics tables abbreviate it as FGM and list attempts and field-goal percentage separately.
Under NFL rules, each successful field goal is worth three points, regardless of distance. So three field goals made produce nine points. A successful kick after a touchdown is worth one point and is recorded separately as an extra point, not added to the FGM total.
Reading the kicking columns
| Label | Meaning | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| FG made / FGM | Field goals made | Number of successful field goals |
| FGA / Att | Field-goal attempts | Number of attempts, successful or unsuccessful |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | FGM ÷ FGA × 100 |
| LNG / Lng | Longest field goal | Distance in yards of the longest successful field goal |
| XPM | Extra points made | Successful kicks after touchdowns |
| XPA | Extra-point attempts | Total extra-point kicks attempted |
| PTS | Points scored | Scoring total, including field goals and extra points |
These columns appear, with some variation in labeling, in the NFL’s field-goal table and ESPN’s career kicking statistics.
A line written as 3-for-4 means three makes in four attempts. Some tables combine the two figures: ESPN’s FG column lists David Akers’s 2011 total as 44-52, meaning 44 makes in 52 attempts.
A real example: David Akers in 2011
David Akers made 44 of 52 field-goal attempts for the San Francisco 49ers in the 2011 regular season. His statistical line also shows an 84.6% success rate, 34 extra points made and 166 points scored. The Eagles’ retrospective confirms the 44-of-52 total; ESPN’s season table supplies the full kicking line.
That line breaks down as follows:
- 44 FGM: successful field goals.
- 52 FGA: all attempts, leaving eight unsuccessful kicks.
- 84.6%: 44 divided by 52, rounded to one decimal place.
- 132 field-goal points: 44 multiplied by three.
- 166 total points: 132 from field goals plus 34 extra points.
The distinction matters: a higher FGM total does not necessarily mean greater accuracy. It can also reflect more opportunities. Compare attempts and percentage alongside makes, then look at the distances attempted.
Why historical totals need context
A field goal has not always been worth three points. The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s scoring history records a reduction to four points in 1904, then to three in 1909, before the NFL’s founding. A made kick in those earlier years therefore contributed a different number of points.
When comparing historical FGM totals, keep the league, season, games played and regular-season or postseason scope clear. And do not confuse volume with distance: the longest field goal is a different record from the most field goals made.