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As the Baltimore Ravens confronted their fifth loss of the season, a familiar voice answered questions in the locker room.
NFL kickers do not always meet with reporters after games. They are not always requested. Their impact is often overlooked.
But for the seventh time this season, including in all five of the Ravens’ losses, five-time All-Pro Justin Tucker’s kicking erred.
He did not just miss once or twice. For the first time in 208 career games, Tucker missed three times.
“I hate that I’ve had to have this same conversation over the course of this season,” Tucker said after the Philadelphia Eagles’ 24-19 win at 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 did not do a good enough job to help our team win the football game.
“I feel like I cost us this one.”
In a simplified, no-context vacuum, Tucker’s calculations add up. He missed two of his four field-goal attempts and one of his two extra-point attempts. The missed kicks, if made, would have boosted the Ravens’ score by seven in a game they lost by five.
Tucker, his teammates and his coaches know explaining their loss isn’t nearly that simple. Tucker did not yield more than 100 scrimmage yards to Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, nor did he convert just 6-of-15 third-down attempts while going more than 45 game minutes between touchdowns.
“He’s the GOAT, still,” Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson said. “We should have put more points on the board, shouldn’t have even put Tuck in those type of situations.
“Hell yeah, I’ve got confidence [in him].”
The confidence is easy to defend. Tucker’s resumé is the blueprint for NFL kicker dreams and Hall of Fame guarantees. He’s bailed the Ravens out hundreds of times in 13 years. But as Tucker’s struggles hit a new low, the Ravens can’t simply brush away the career-high 10 kicks he’s missed in 12 games.
Past performance is…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ravens-loss-to-eagles-highlights-potential-hole-in-playoff-hopes-how-concerned-should-they-be–and-what-comes-next-050311772.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-12-02 05:03:00
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