Justin Tucker, the magician with the golden leg, is unquestionably the NFL’s most accurate kicker of all time, boasting a scintillating 89.686 percent success rate on his 446 career field goals. Yet, this season, the Ravens’ talisman has found himself in a surprising rut.
Struggling Season for Tucker
The stalwart kicker has shockingly hit the bottom of the NFL’s accuracy charts this season, with a dismal 62.5 percent conversion rate among those with more than two attempts.
Out of 8 attempts, Tucker has only managed to slot through 5, narrowly missing one in each of the three games played so far. His unerring precision seems to have momentarily escaped him.
Mental Toughness and Self-Criticism
Despite these struggles, Tucker remains undaunted. “I think one of my greatest assets is my mind,” Tucker reflected, his voice a mix of determination and humility. “I’m able to compartmentalize for the most part, move onto the next one, and make the most of my next opportunity.
In true Tucker fashion, he added, “You have to be your own harshest critic if you want to take greatness from inside of you and put it on display for the world. That’s really how I think about it.”
The Culprit: Technique Issues
Every one of Tucker’s misses veered wide left — a 53-yarder against the Chiefs in Week 1, a 56-yarder against the Raiders in Week 2, and a 46-yarder against the Cowboys in Week 3. Clearly, there’s a pattern, and the kicker is keenly aware of it.
Candidly breaking down his mistakes, Tucker disclosed, “On the three that I’ve let get away, I just turned a little bit too much on the ball. I didn’t finish directly at my target line. I made the same error, which is highly correctable, but I made the same error a couple of times. That’s on me, as simply as I can put it. I know what I need to do to fix it.”
The Kicking Legend’s Resolve
At 34, Tucker is clearly in the twilight of a storied career. Still, his laser focus on fixing his “technique thing” is unshakable. Despite recent hiccups, he remains a luminous figure in the realm of kickers with feats that still leave us starstruck — like his NFL record 66-yard field goal in 2021.
But, the hallmarks of a great athlete are adaptability and self-improvement. Tucker may have hit a bump, but the NFL veteran knows how to navigate through it. His ability to readjust and master his craft is why he continues to be revered, even if he hasn’t donned the All-Pro mantle since 2021.
A New Challenger Emerges
Meanwhile, Brandon Aubrey of the Cowboys has galloped past Tucker to claim the title of the best kicker in the league, for now. Shifts in such high-stakes roles aren’t unusual in the NFL, where change is the only constant and every game is another chance to shine or stumble.
So, as we keep our eyes glued on Tucker’s performance in the coming weeks, one thing is certain for NFL aficionados: this kicking maestro is far from being counted out. Like a resilient boxer after a stinging hit, Tucker, no doubt, is gearing up for his next big swing.
And in this electrifying rollercoaster that is the NFL, isn’t that just part of the magic?
