1. Broncos - Brandon McManus
His 30 field goals made last season was tied for fifth most in the league. Yeah, he gets a boost by kicking in thin air all the time in Denver. But mainly that affects distance, not accuracy, and he was the most accurate kicker in the division last season. He hit 86% of his attempts and didn’t miss inside 39 yards. He was also 62% from 40-49 yards and 71% past 50 yards. Most importantly, McManus didn’t miss a field goal or extra point in the playoffs, going 10 for 10 on field goals and 3 for 3 on extra points.
2. Chiefs - Cairo Santos
Santos was the best in the division from 40-49 yards, going 9 of 11 (82%). But once he got outside 50 yards, his average dropped to a division worst 50% (4 of 8). His overall percentage of 81% was tied with Lambo and Janikowski and he was tied with McManus for the most field goals made (30). He too was perfect in the postseason, going 5 for 5 on field goals and 5 for 5 on extra points.
3. Raiders - Sebastian Janikowski
The 38-year-old is easily the most veteran kicker in the division, which isn’t saying much really considering there is a total of five years experience combined among the other three. But these rankings are not as much about longevity or past success as much as recent performance. Janikowski’s field goal percentage (81%) in 2015 was not as good as McManus, and his percentage from 40-49 was tied for the worst in the division. Though going 4-5 from 50+ shows he’s still got a strong leg. He also didn’t kick nearly as many field goals (21) as his division rivals, though that was more a product of the Raiders’ red zone efficiency last season.
4. Chargers - Josh Lambo
A rookie in 2015, Lambo had an solid first season. He hit 81% of his field goals, but if you were to factor in his division worst three missed extra points, that overall percentage would be a division worst. On the other hand, he was a division best 71% from 40 yards or more which was helped greatly by an impressive 4 of 5 outside 50 yards (80%). Lambo has kicked for just one season, while the others have proven it over at least two seasons.
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