Tag: Justin Tucker

The Ravens are in a difficult spot with Justin Tucker

The Ravens are in a difficult spot with Justin Tucker

For potentially the first time, with arguably the greatest kicker in NFL history on their side, the Baltimore Ravens were at a massive disadvantage in a low-scoring affair decided by field goals against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Tucker missed two field goals, one from 47 yards and another from 50, in the Ravens’ 18-16 loss to the Steelers in Week 11, bringing his number of missed kicks this season to six with one missed extra point. On the other hand, Chris Boswell accounted for 18 of Pittsburgh’s points with six field goals. Tucker did make a 54-yard field goal in the game, but his two misses loomed large in a two-point loss that handed the Steelers sole possession of first place in the AFC North.

In a season with Super Bowl aspirations, led by the league’s best offense and a quarterback gunning for a third MVP trophy, it would be a shame for everything to come crumbling down at the foot of the previously always-reliable Tucker in January.

It is tough to say where Baltimore should go from here. On one hand, Tucker has missed crucial field goals in all four of the Ravens’ close losses this season. On the other hand, Tucker is the most excellent kicker of all time, with as much credit in the bank as one player could have. Cutting Tucker and bringing in another kicker from the street would be the worst way to end his legendary career in Baltimore, but not doing so runs the risk of potentially more costly misses leading to close losses.

The Ravens’ offense has been good enough to mask Tucker’s struggles, for the most part, this season, but as shown on Sunday when the unit could not get going, Tucker could not be counted on to bail them out as he has done countless times throughout his career.

Steelers kicker Chris Boswell on Justin Tucker: “he’s a legend”

Steelers placekicker Chris Boswell went a perfect 6/6 on his field goal attempts, and thus accounted for every point scored by the winners 

Murphy’s law is an epigram that usually states: “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”

For the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, in their 18-16 loss at their arch-rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, things went wrong that nobody could have ever anticipated.

Justin Tucker, arguably the G.O.A.T. of placekickers, is missing not one but two field goals.

Derrick Henry, the king of all running backs, fumbling the ball away for the first time in two years.

Most believe Lamar Jackson has been the NFL MVP thus far this season, but he has completed less than half of his pass attempts.

And on the other sideline, the Steelers won with a dominant defense and elite special teams.

The main hero of this game?

Probably Steelers placekicker Chris Boswell, who went a perfect 6/6 on his field goal attempts and thus accounted for every point scored by the winning side.

Tucker has missed six field goal attempts in the season after missing only five last.

In his postgame media opportunity, Boswell made it clear that he doesn’t think Tucker is slipping at all.

Added Boswell: “He’s a Hall of Famer, and next thing you know, he’ll go on another 100 field goal streak, and everyone will forget about this and move past it.”

Boswell is right- while it was shocking to see, this was just a bad day at the office for Tucker.

Panthers’ Eddy Piñeiro is now NFL’s most accurate FG kicker ever . . . and he didn’t even play this week

Carolina Panthers kicker Eddy Piñeiro became the most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history on Sunday . . . and he didn’t even play. Here’s how:

Carolina Panthers kicker Eddy Piñeiro became the most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history on Sunday . . . and he didn’t even play.

Piñeiro, while enjoying his team’s bye, entered Week 11 with a career field goal rate of 89.381 percent—the second-highest ever. That mark had him barely behind Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, who sat atop the all-time list at 89.716 percent.

Well, Tucker didn’t have himself a very good showing against the Pittsburgh Steelers this afternoon.

The future Hall of Famer started off his outing by missing on a 47-yard attempt almost 10 minutes into the first quarter. He’d then miss his next try, a 50-yarder, on Baltimore’s very next possession.

Tucker was able to shake off the pair of whiffs to successfully convert on his third go, a 54-yarder with 6:12 remaining in the third quarter. But it wouldn’t be enough to recover in the ranks.

Those misses, even along with the make, now have Tucker at 89.347 percent—.034 percent below Piñeiro.

Congrats, Steady Eddy!

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Ravens kicker blames Week 11 field conditions for missed field goals

Justin Tucker says the field surface in Pittsburgh “wasn’t ideal” after missing two field goals in Week 11, while Chris Boswell was perfect.

Sorry, Justin Tucker: no one is buying the excuses you’re trying not to make for your lackluster Week 11 performance. For fans unaware of the recent developments behind Tucker’s post-game comments, the Ravens kicker initially accepted fault for his two missed field goals during the contest but ultimately pointed to poor field conditions in Pittsburgh as a contributing factor.

When asked if the field conditions at Acrisure Stadium directly contributed to his two missed field goals, Tucker tried to avoid deflecting blame, but ended up doing just that: “I wouldn’t say the surface was an issue, but it wasn’t ideal.” He doubled down on the less-than-ideal field claims, adding, “Throughout the course of the game, the most action takes place between the hashes, and it naturally just gets chewed up.”

While some speculated that the field conditions could have been affected by the Panthers-Clemson CFB game on Saturday, Steelers kicker Chris Boswell had no issues. Boswell made all six of his field goal attempts in Week 11, including an impressive 57-yard bomb.

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Justin Tucker struggles again in Steelers’ win over Ravens

A Pittsburgh Steelers game ball should be given to Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker

A Pittsburgh Steelers game ball should be given to Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, who missed two field goals that could’ve meant the difference in the game for the loathed visitors.

In a pivotal Week 11 matchup, Pittsburgh edged out Baltimore 18-16, largely because of the contrasting performances of the teams’ kickers. Chris Boswell was flawless for the Steelers, converting all six field goal attempts, including a crucial 50-yarder late in the fourth quarter. Baltimore’s Justin Tucker, renowned for his accuracy, missed two first-quarter field goals from 47 and 50 yards. These misses proved costly in a game decided by a mere two points.

Tucker’s struggles in this game are characteristic of his subpar season. Entering this week, he had a field goal conversion rate of 79%, placing him seventh-worst among kickers with at least 10 attempts — a notable decline for a player who holds the NFL record for career field goal accuracy at 89.7%.

The Steelers’ offense was anemic and couldn’t get a rhythm going. They got lucky that Tucker was off his game and Boswell saved the day.

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Ian Eagle sounded so concerned about Justin Tucker after his second brutal miss against the Steelers

Something is seriously wrong with Justin Tucker.

For over a decade, we’ve grown accustomed to Justin Tucker being absolutely automatic from any distance while kicking field goals for the Baltimore Ravens. For all intents and purposes, his resume is that of one of the best kickers of all time.

But something appears to be off about the five-time First-Team All-Pro this season. And we saw it firsthand in an important AFC North rivalry game with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In a matchup where it seemed like points were at a premium, Tucker missed not one but two early field goals on the road in Pittsburgh. While a 47-yarder and 50-yarder are by no means “easy kicks,” they usually have been for Tucker. That’s the concerning part.

This led to CBS announcer Ian Eagle acknowledging the elephant in the room after Tucker came up empty for the second time:

Tucker’s overall resume means he has earned some grace when he’s not up to snuff. But the last time the 34-year-old kicker missed more than a handful of kicks was in 2015. He already has four misses so far in 2024. This is probably something to monitor moving forward if you’re the Ravens.

Justin Tucker misses PAT after Ravens’ 84-yard touchdown play

The Ravens got a long touchdown play in the fourth quarter

The Baltimore Ravens rallied in the second half against the Cincinnati Bengals.

They trailed 21-7 before a Derrick Henry touchdown run.

Then, Lamar Jackson threw a short pass to Tylan Wallace. The fourth-round pick out of Oklahoma State in 2021 did the rest.

He tight-roped down the sideline, somehow staying inbounds.

The 84-yard play brought the Ravens within 21-20.

The joy was tempered because Justin Tucker missed the PAT and that left Baltimore down a point.

How did the Ravens wind up with a second-and-goal from the 38?

The Ravens faced a first-and-goal from the 38

The Baltimore Ravens appeared to be going in for a touchdown. Lamar Jackson dashed to the end zone on a first-and-goal from the Tampa Bay eight on Monday.

Penalty flag. It led to a sequence that saw first-and-goal from the eight into second-and-goal from the 38.

How did that happen?

    • 4th & Goal at TB 10

      (0:04 – 2nd) J.Tucker 28 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-N.Moore, Holder-J.Stout.

    • 4th & Goal at TB 10

      (0:07 – 2nd) Timeout #2 by BLT at 00:07.

    • 3rd & Goal at TB 30

      (0:13 – 2nd) (Shotgun) L.Jackson pass short middle to N.Agholor to TB 10 for 20 yards (C.Izien).

    • 3rd & Goal at TB 30

      (0:13 – 2nd) Timeout #1 by BLT at 00:13.

    • 2nd & Goal at TB 38

      (0:19 – 2nd) (Shotgun) L.Jackson pass short right to J.Hill to TB 30 for 8 yards (Z.McCollum; K.Britt).

    • 2nd & Goal at TB 28

      (0:26 – 2nd) (Shotgun) L.Jackson pass short right to J.Hill to TB 16 for 12 yards (C.Braswell). PENALTY on BLT-I.Likely, Offensive Pass Interference, 10 yards, enforced at TB 28 – No Play.

    • 2nd & Goal at TB 28

      (0:26 – 2nd) Timeout #2 by TB at 00:26.

    • 2nd & Goal at TB 18

      (0:31 – 2nd) (Shotgun) J.Hill right guard to TB 13 for 5 yards (T.Smith). TB-T.Smith was injured during the play. PENALTY on BLT-P.Mekari, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at TB 18 – No Play.

    • 1st & 18 at TB 18

      (0:35 – 2nd) (Shotgun) L.Jackson pass incomplete deep right to I.Likely.

    • 1st & Goal at TB 8

      (0:39 – 2nd) (Shotgun) J.Hill left end pushed ob at TB 10 for -2 yards (T.Funderburk, L.David). PENALTY on BLT-R.Stanley, Offensive Holding, 10 yards, enforced at TB 8 – No Play.

The Ravens wound up salvaging the drive by getting a Justin Tucker field goal with four seconds to go in the half. They led 17-10 at the break after trailing 10-0.

Derrick Henry’s run sets up Ravens’ game-winning field goal in OT

Baltimore pulls off a thrilling OT win at Cincinnati

The Cincinnati Bengals had limited Derrick Henry to 41 rushing yards on 14 carries.

The 15th carry, in overtime, saw the great running back break a 51-yarder off to set up a Justin Tucker field goal that gave Baltimore a thrilling 41-38 victory over the Bengals.

The overtime was as wild as regulation. Baltimore won the coin toss and was driving for a potential game-winning score when Lamar Jackson’s fumble was recovered by Germaine Pratt.

The Bengals had a chance to win the game but Evan McPherson missed a 53-yard field goal, setting the stage for Henry and Tucker.

Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase were impossible to stop for the Ravens.

Burrow had threw five touchdown passes, including two to Chase.

The elite wideout had 10 catches for 193 yards and the touchdowns.

 

Jackson threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns. Henry had 92 rushing yards and a touchdown in the win that ups Baltimore to 3-2.

WATCH: Justin Tucker nails 56-yard FG to force overtime in Ravens vs. Bengals

WATCH: Justin Tucker nails 56-yard FG to tie Ravens vs. Bengals late in the fourth quarter

Justin Tucker has struggled over the past year and a half, missing his last four kicks from 50 yards or more.  Tucker labeled his slump a technique issue and busted out hugely.

Lamar Jackson helped Baltimore overcome a late ten-point deficit, but it was Tucker who, with a 56-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter, helped force overtime at Paycor Stadium, making the game 38-38.

The Bengals let the clock drive down and punted, choosing to regroup and focus on the extra quarter.