By the numbers, Justin Tucker has been one of the league’s worst kickers in 2024.
The 35-year-old kicker has now missed eight field goals in 13 games and a pair of extra points. He missed three kicks during Baltimore’s 24-19 loss to Philadelphia on Sunday — two field goals and an extra point.
After saying he didn’t think moving on from Tucker would be wise during his postgame press conference on Sunday, head coach John Harbaugh restated his confidence in the kicker on Monday.
“You rack your brain because that’s a big deal. Obviously, we all know it — Justin knows it, too,” Harbaugh said at his Monday news conference entering the team’s Week 14 bye. “Points were at a premium in the game, they have been for a few of these games. Sometimes we haven’t made the most of our opportunities to score points because you’re [missing] kicks. And Justin expects to make every kick, no matter how far it is and what the situation is. And those are makable kicks for him.
“So, yeah, we’re racking our brains, talking to Justin, looking at what we’re doing. I’m very confident that it’s going to get fixed. I believe it will. It has to. And he’s the guy to get it fixed. So, sometimes you respect the player and you respect his ability to get it worked out. And with help from the coaching … I feel confident that it’ll get done.”
Harbaugh noted it’s a combination of physical and mental elements that are likely preventing Tucker from sending the ball through the uprights in games.
“It’s not simple. If it was a one-fix thing, it would be easy. It’s definitely not. He’s kicking really well in practice,” Harbaugh said. “He’s kicking really well in pregame. So, you know, the physical ability’s there. It’s just a matter of doing it.
“That’s what he said to me this morning — I know what I have to do, I just have to do it in those situations. So, that’s what it really boils down to.”
Harbaugh admitted he’s not sending Tucker out for the super long field goal attempts like he used to, but still feels that kicks from 50-52 yards should be within Tucker’s range.
While Harbaugh said there wouldn’t be anything wrong with adding a kicker on the practice squad, from the information he’s been given from special teams coach Randy Brown, Harbaugh doesn’t think there’s a better option available at kicker.
“I don’t think that’s the answer, knowing I’ve talked to Randy and the scouts, knowing who’s out there right now,” Harbaugh said. “It’s not to say there aren’t guys capable, but there’s nobody nearly as good as Justin Tucker out there.”
While that may be true based on history, Tucker’s 70.4 percent field goal rate has made the kicker a liability coming down the stretch of this season.
