Justin Tucker, the greatest kicker of his generation, has encountered an unprecedented stretch of inconsistency to start the 2024 season.
He's missed three field goal attempts in three weeks, including an 0 of 2 mark from 50-plus yards. Suddenly, the most reliable kicker of the last decade is no longer automatic.
On Monday, Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh made sure to note his team is just as confident as ever in Tucker, who likely will own a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame at some point in the future. Still, that's easier for a coach to say than it is for a kicker -- whose job is more reliant upon results than any other -- to believe and put into practice.
"It's definitely fair to say that more recently, I've been working through a technique thing," Tucker said on Wednesday, via team transcript, while adding that he feels like he's striking the ball "as well as I ever have."
At a point in the not-too-distant past, a Tucker miss was so rare, even he would appear to be in disbelief when the ball didn't split the uprights. But when he missed from 46 yards out Sunday -- in a game in which rising star kicker Brandon Aubrey converted from 65 yards out for the Dallas Cowboys -- it wasn't stunning; it was just the latest disappointing result for a 13-year veteran and five-time All-Pro who turns 35 in November and is dealing with the first legitimate adversity of his decorated career.
At this point, Aubrey is in line to take Tucker's place atop the kicking throne as the league's best boot. He's already moved past Tucker for the most consecutive 50-plus-yard field goals made in NFL history, reaching 15 Sunday via a streak that began at the start of his young career and has yet to end.
Tucker, meanwhile, is focused on fixing the problem as quickly as possible entering Week 4's game against the Buffalo Bills. The 1-2 Ravens will undoubtedly need him to deliver before long.
"For the most part, we -- and I emphasize we -- have been striking the ball really, really well, not just in practice, not just in pre-game warmups, but for the most part, throughout the course of the game," Tucker said. "Then, I have let three kicks get away from me early this season, but today, we had another really good day at practice. We plan on having another one tomorrow and on Friday and then coming into Sunday Night Football ready to roll like we always do.
"I'm confident in what (long snapper) Nick [Moore] has been doing and what (punter) Jordan [Stout] has been doing from a snapping and a holding perspective. The guys blocking upfront, they have all been consistent. Anytime our defense gets a stop our offense moves the ball down the field, it's my job to reward the rest of the team and their hard work with points on the board. It's something I take a lot of pride in, I will continue to work at it. I'll leave it at that."
