Ravens HC John Harbaugh backs K Justin Tucker despite unusual struggles

The Baltimore Ravens employ one of the best (if not the best) kickers in NFL history in Justin Tucker. He’s been as consistent as ever since entering the league in 2012, and is known for his pinpoint accuracy and powerful leg.

Despite Tucker’s place in the history books as a staple at his position, he’s struggled more than usual during the 2023 season, missing kicks he normally makes. Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh backed his kicker, and discussed what went wrong in the team’s Week 12 win over the Chargers where Tucker missed a 40+ yard field goal.

“‘Tuck’ [Justin Tucker] is ‘Tuck.’ That was one that he was rushed on. He was rushed on all those field goals the whole game. I’m not making excuses for him. He would never accept that. He’ll tell you he has to make them under any circumstance. We can’t afford to call a timeout there. I don’t know why the clock was running so fast and why they didn’t administer it the way they’d normally do, but we knew after the delay of game [penalty] on the first one that we were going to have to just speed it all up and get it off. It’s just a miss. He’s human, and I’m sure glad we have him. [I] always will be.”