This week’s NFL slate wasn’t a particularly good outing for kickers across the league, including one of the greatest of all time.
Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker hasn’t been his usual elite self this season, and his worst game couldn’t have come at a worse time against their AFC North rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tucker missed two field goals in what eventually became a deciding factor in the 18-16 loss for Baltimore, giving Pittsburgh possession of the AFC North throne for the moment.
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Baltimore Ravens place kicker Justin Tucker kicks a field goal against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. (Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)
After the game, Tucker was asked if the field conditions weren’t to his liking, to which he didn’t make an excuse.
However, he did mention it wasn’t the best conditions considering Pitt’s football team played Clemson in their college football matchup on Saturday before the Ravens and Steelers kicked off.
“I wouldn’t say the surface was an issue, but it wasn’t ideal,” Tucker told reporters. “That’s something that we make it a point to account for by going out there in pre-game warmups and getting our feet under us, figuring out what the wind may be doing. But we’ve dealt with that plenty of times here, elsewhere, at home. Then, throughout the course of the game, the most action takes place in between the hashes, and it naturally gets chewed up.”
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As Tucker says, he’s not making any excuses, but social media didn’t take that as such considering Steelers kicker Chris Boswell was a perfect 6-for-6 on his field goal attempts, which ultimately won the Steelers the game.
Tucker was able to drill a 54-yard field goal to keep the Ravens in the divisional bout, but the 34-year-old has already missed six kicks this season, and he’s only missed a total of seven in a single season during his career.
Baltimore Ravens place kicker Justin Tucker reacts to a missed field goal against the Pittsburgh Steelers. (Barry Reeger-Imagn Images)
Despite his struggles on Sunday, Boswell, who is having a solid season with just one miss on 30 attempts, was humble when asked if he’s taken the crown as the league’s best kicker from Tucker.
“No, not even close. That dude’s a legend,” Boswell said. “He’s a Hall of Famer and next thing you know, he’ll go on another 100-field-goals-[made] streak and everyone will forget about this.”
Tucker’s Ravens teammates and coaches also have confidence in their veteran kicker.
“The best option is to get Justin back on point,” head coach John Harbaugh said, per ESPN. “We certainly haven’t lost any confidence in Justin. He’s definitely our best option.”
Baltimore Ravens’ Justin Tucker celebrates a 54-yard field goal against the Pittsburgh Steelers. (Barry Reeger-Imagn Images)
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Tucker added: “I’m still confident I’m going to go out there and nail every single kick. Part of the way we stay confident is by continuing to work and trust the process. I might sound like a broken record, but it’s a part of what brings us success – is just trusting the process and then taking it one kick at a time.”
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