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Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates had quite a game Monday night as his team rallied to defeat the San Francisco 49ers, 40 – 34.

Bates set a new franchise record for the most points scored in a single season as he went 2-for-2 on his field goal attempts, including a 57-yard attempt that brought the Lions within four points of the 49ers in the third quarter.

But all that was secondary to the attention the kicker received over a camera shot of him stretching on the field. The game of football has been reduced to a science, with no stone unturned in gaining an edge on the competition, but it’s not clear exactly what muscle Bates was targeting as he lay prone on the turf and slowly rotated his hips.

The fact that he did this freakish stretch with his tongue out sealed the deal.

Playing on the highest-scoring teams in the NFL has its advantages for a kicker. The Lions are now at 14-2 on the year and face a showdown next week with the Minnesota Vikings, who are also 14-2, with not only the NFC North divisional championship on the line but a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs at stake, Bates may yet play a deciding role in the contest.

Either way, Bates won the Internet Monday night based on the memes flowing from the freak show he put on… here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story, as seen on X:

Tom Tillison
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