As the Baltimore Ravens faced their fifth loss of the season, a familiar voice answered questions in the locker room.
NFL kickers don’t always meet with reporters after games. They are not always requested. Their influence is often overlooked.
But for the seventh time this season, including five of the Ravens’ losses, five-time All-Pro Justin Tucker had a kicking error.
He didn’t just miss once or twice. For the first time in 208 career games, Tucker missed three times.
“I hate that I have to have this same conversation this season,” Tucker said after the Philadelphia Eagles’ 24-19 win in Baltimore. “But that’s something that comes with the territory in this job description — the kicks are either good or they’re not. And today I didn’t do a good enough job to help our team win a football game.
“I think I cost us this one.”
A simplistic, no-context vacuum adds up to sums of money. He missed two of his four field-goal attempts and one of his two extra-point attempts. The missed kick, if made, would have increased the Ravens’ score to seven in a game they lost by five.
Tucker, his teammates and his coaches know their losses aren’t nearly so easy to explain. Tucker didn’t pass Eagles running back Saquon Barkley for more than 100 scrimmage yards, or convert just 6 of 15 third-down attempts while going over 45 game minutes between touchdowns.
“He’s still the GOAT,” Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson said. “We should have put more points on the board, not even put Tuck in that type of situation.
“Yes, I got confidence [in him]”
Confidence is easy to maintain. Tucker’s resume is an NFL kicker’s dream and the blueprint for a Hall of Fame guarantee. He bailed out the Ravens hundreds of times over 13 years. But as Tucker’s struggles hit new lows, the Ravens simply can’t shake off a career-high 10 missed kicks in 13 games.
Past performance is informative but not predictive. There is a psychological component to kicking that the team must honestly consider.
Through that lens, the Ravens must ask themselves: Can they trust the money through their final four regular-season games and into the playoffs? From what distance of money should they be trotted and how much insurance do they need?
What the Ravens should consider for Justin Tucker’s next move
Like Tucker, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh deserves the benefit of the doubt with this decision. He’s not just a 17-year head coach with a Super Bowl title under his belt and a 61.7 career winning percentage.
Harbaugh is the rare NFL head coach who has never coordinated an offense or defense. He cut his teeth as special teams coordinator overseeing the Eagles’ special teams unit for nine seasons. Harbaugh knows what it takes to coach a kicker — and it’s fair to assume he knows more than he let on during his postgame media conference.
What did he see in Tucker’s strike and his operation?
“I just saw misses,” Harbaugh said. “I mean, we’ll go back and look at all that stuff and try to figure it out. … He’s definitely capable of making every kick.”
Tucker’s latest performance didn’t just include misses.
Against the Eagles, Tucker made a 34-yard field goal in the first quarter and made a 50-yard field goal just before halftime. With three seconds to play in the game, Tuck made his extra-point attempt to bring the Ravens within five points of Philadelphia.
As notable as the distance and success of his three builds were the moments in which he made each. Tucker missed indefinitely after his errant kick. He missed an extra point attempt in the first quarter and then rebounded with a 50-yarder. Tucker missed from 47 and 53 in the third quarter but then nailed his extra point attempt late in the game.
That pattern reflects Tucker’s season-long performance. He made 10 of his field-goal attempts under 40 yards compared to 9 of 17 from 40-plus. He has now made 42 of 44 extra point attempts.
The Ravens’ analytics staff won’t erase the kicks made while analyzing the potential outcome of each in-game decision.
Jackson said his confidence in his kicker stems, in part, from Tucker’s successful previous game, when he made three extra point attempts and a 45-yard field goal without making a mistake in a win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Harbaugh similarly pointed to Tucker’s established arsenal of skills.
“I just think if you look at Justin Tucker’s history, you have to say he’s capable of doing it,” Harbaugh said. “We need him to make these kicks. No one wants to make these kicks more than Justin, I promise you.
“He’ll be the first to tell you he has to kick as hard as he can.”
A potential compromise for money, Ravens
Harbaugh is correct that Tucker appears physically and mentally capable of making many kicks. In his three Sundays, including 50 outs, not a devastating hit or weak yips that indicate his energy or focus is completely zero.
Tucker spoke with poise and accountability on Sunday night about the need to consider hash and strategy. He said his miss on the right reflected an incomplete strike rather than compensating for an earlier miss, and he knows he shouldn’t dwell too much on the value of his misses at the expense of sharpening his preparation.
“It’s pretty raw emotionally for me,” Tucker said. “Whenever we lose, especially for me today my performance was not up to our standards, it’s crushing. But at the end of the day, my feelings don’t really matter.
“What’s important is: Get back to work and do what I can to help this football team grow.”
What will help the Ravens the most should be the guiding factor for Harbaugh and Ravens brass — even as their passion and rich history struggle to make decisions with Tucker.
Could the Ravens reach a point where they should reconsider kicking over 40 yards? They’re not necessarily there yet, but with the bye week they’ve reached now, they should set a formula where they need to adjust their decision-making to reflect their kicker’s current performance rather than past performance. They should also work on kickers if Tucker’s accuracy slips further.
Tucker’s short and long kicks alike have proven more likely than not.
But the Ravens should think long and hard about their three losses by less than Tucker’s missed kick cost.
Two weeks ago, Tucker missed from 47 and 50 in what ultimately turned into a two-point loss to the now-AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens’ Week 2 upset loss to the Las Vegas Raiders likewise came by just three points — and likewise included a miss from 53.
It is not yet time to sound alarm or panic. But the Ravens should consider themselves on notice. And, in the coming days of the less emotional bye week, create a framework that will prepare the team for all outcomes.
On Sunday, Harbaugh indicated where the analysis has led so far.
“We’ve been working through it,” he said. “You work through it with every single player. You fight every single thing to try to help guys succeed. We will do that.
“If you’re asking are we moving on from Justin Tucker, I don’t plan to do it right now. I don’t think it would be wise.”
