Brandon Aubrey unofficially tied an NFL record with booming field goal vs. Raiders

Any time a kicker is one of the main highlights of a particular NFL first half, the offenses are usually sputtering. The Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders found themselves in that exact situation in their preseason tussle, so much so that it required kicker Brandon Aubrey to save the day.

Aubrey went from an interesting human interest story to an All-Pro performer in his first season with the Cowboys. Making an NFL-record 36 consecutive field goals to begin his career and finishing 36-38 in field goals attempted certainly helped vault him into the national public consciousness.

Aubrey wasn't ready to let this game be defined by some sloppy quarterback play. Right before halftime, Aubrey nailed a 66-yard field goal that almost put him into the record books. Had this kick happened in an actual NFL game, Aubrey would have tied Baltimore Ravens legend Justin Tucker's record for the longest field goal in NFL history.

Brandon Aubrey drills would-be longest field goal in NFL history during Cowboys-Raiders

According to Next Gen Stats, this kick may have been even more unprecedented than imagined. Aubrey's kick would have allegedly been good from 72 yards. Sebastian Janikowski has to be steaming watching this, as Aubrey, who was a perfect 10-10 on field goals over 50 yards last year, is now the premier long-ball kicker in the game.

Even if Tucker has the title of best kicker emeritus until he retires, Aubrey and Kansas City's Harrison Butker seem to be the two top competitors in the quest to unseat Baltimore's star. Now that Aubrey has matched his field goal record, his claim to the throne just got more legitimate.

The Cowboys have come a long way from the days of Brett Maher, who famously missed 10 field goals and five out of six postseason extra points on separate occasions. While Aubrey, a former MLS soccer player who was suiting up for the Birmingham Stallions in a league that doesn't even exist anymore two years ago, isn't the sexiest player, he gives Dallas a huge competitive advantage.