Even Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker is human. Tucker was automatic for so long, but on Sunday afternoon against the Steelers, the 34-year-old missed two field goals. Tucker has now missed six field goals on the season, which is the last thing Baltimore needs down the stretch in a tight AFC North race with Pittsburgh.
For those in favor of enshrining some kickers in Canton, Tucker likely makes the cut. Steelers kicker Chris Boswell, who made all six of his field goal attempts in Pittsburgh's 18-16 win, sure thinks so.
"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 said.
Justin Tucker blames everyone but himself for missed field goals vs Steelers
Tucker himself didn't handle his minor setback as well. The Ravens lost by less than three points, of course, which had to make his missed kicks sting a little extra. Tucker blamed the Acrisure Stadium field, rather than taking responsibility himself.
"I wouldn't say the surface was an issue, but it wasn't ideal," Tucker said, per Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "That's something we make it a point to account for by going out there in pregame warm-ups and getting our feet under us, figuring out what the wind may be doing, but we've dealt with that plenty of times here, elsewhere, at home. And then throughout the course of the game, the most action takes place in between the hashes, and it naturally gets chewed up."
What Tucker is complaining about specifically is the fact that another football game was played at Acrisure just a day prior. Pitt lost to Clemson on Saturday, and the Steelers hosted the Ravens the very next day. Pitt has shared the stadium with the Steelers for decades now, so this is not a new development, which Tucker also pointed out.
Justin Tucker doesn't have a leg to stand on with Acrisure Stadium argument
While it might not be ideal playing conditions for kickers – the Steelers don't play in a dome, after all – the field wasn't much of an issue on Tucker's misses, nor did any other player complain about it. Not to mention, Boswell made all six of his field goals.
Prior to Sunday's game, Tucker was 57-for-59 against the Steelers career, and had yet to miss a PAT. That includes plenty of games in Pittsburgh.
"'Tuck' needs to make kicks. He knows that; that's important," John Harbaugh said after the game. "He makes them in practice, and he made the long one later, which was good to see – which means he's still very capable. Kick them straight, [and] we'll be good."
It's a long season, and as Boswell noted, Tucker is one of the best kickers in NFL history. Odds are he'll figure it out, but playing the blame game isn't helping matters.