Let’s wind the clocks back to January 22, 2012. It was the Baltimore Ravens vs. the New England Patriots in the AFC conference championship game.
The winner would have the chance to play in Super Bowl XLVI. The loser would go home.
There was 15 seconds left in the game and it was fourth down. The Patriots held a 23-20 lead. The Ravens sent out Billy Cundiff to attempt a 32 yard field goal with the hopes of tying the game up and sending it to overtime.
What happened next? Wide left. Just like that, the Ravens magical 2011 season came to a close in the most heartbreaking way possible. This would be Cundiff’s final game as a Raven.
Before the start of the 2012 regular season, the Ravens signed undrafted rookie, Justin Tucker, who previously played for the University of Texas. After an impressive preseason, the Ravens decided that Tucker was their guy and that they were going to roll on with him — for better or for worse.
Let’s just say that he was the right man for the job.
Kickers are often overlooked in the NFL and a lot of coaches and scouts place very little value on a kicker. Kickers like Tucker are going to soon make sure that that is no longer the case.
During this offseason, the Ravens decided to place their franchise tag on Tucker which would pay him a grand total of $4.5 million for the upcoming 2016 season and guarantee that he would be in a Ravens uniform for at least another season.
Some people may question if that was a smart decision. Some people really need to look at this guy’s track record before they ask a question like that.
During the 2012 season, Justin Tucker was a perfect 42 for 42 on his extra point attempts and he made 32 out of 35 of his field goal attempts. During the 2012 postseason, he was put in similar situation as Cundiff was in the previous season. The Ravens and the Broncos were stuck in dead heat as the game went in to two overtime periods.
Eventually, the Ravens were able to get in to good enough field position to set up Justin Tucker for a 47 yard field goal. If he made the kick, the Ravens would be headed back to the AFC championship game. If he missed it, the Broncos would have another chance to put the game away. Luckily for the Ravens, lightning didn’t strike twice. Tucker nailed the kick and officially established himself as something the Ravens had been looking for — a clutch kicker. We all know what happened next. The Ravens would ride the momentum started from Tucker’s right leg and would go on to eventually win Super Bowl XLVII.
In 2013, Tucker proved success in his rookie season was no fluke as he went on to make 38 of 41 field goal attempts and once again was flawless on his extra point attempts. His performance that season had him named the Baltimore Ravens MVP for the 2013 season. His best game came against the Detroit Lions in Week 15. He kicked a franchise record-tying six field goals in this game and became the first kicker to kick a field goal in the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s in the same game. His 61 yard field goal in this game set a variety of records. It was not only the longest field goal made in Ravens franchise history, it was also the longest field goal ever made in a domed stadium. Let’s not forget that that 61 yarder was also the game winner as the Ravens would beat Detroit by a score of 18-16.
He was voted first-team All-Pro in 2013 and was also elected to his first Pro Bowl. His worst statistical season (of his first three) was in 2014 but he still made all 42 of his attempted extra points and still made 85.3 percent of his field goal attempts.
While 2015 was a down year for the Ravens as a team, it was certainly no down year for Tucker as he kicked game winning field goals in the Ravens’ first three wins of the season. Four out of five of the Ravens total wins that season were won by three points.
Tucker is the second most accurate kicker in NFL history to attempt at least 100 field goals. In his entire career, he has made 130 of 148 field goals and has yet to miss an extra point. This is especially impressive considering that the NFL made extra points go from 19 to 33 yards in 2015.
If you’re still not convinced of his value to the team, take a look at how many games the Ravens have won by three points or less since Tucker has been a part of the team:
- Week 3: Final Score – 31-30 (September 23, 2012)
- Week 5: Final Score – 9-6 (October 7, 2012)
- Week 6: Final Score – 31-29 (October 14, 2012)
- Week 11: Final Score – 13-10 (November 18, 2012)
- Week 12: Final Score – 16-13 (November 25, 2012)
- AFC Divisional Playoff Game: Final Score – 38-35 (January 12, 2013)
- Super Bowl XLVII: Final Score – 34-31 (February 3, 2013)
- Week 5: Final Score – 26-23 (October 6, 2013)
- Week 10: Final Score – 20-17 (November 10, 2013)
- Week 13: Final Score – 22-20 (November 28, 2013)
- Week 14: Final Score – 29-26 (December 8, 2013)
- Week 15: Final Score – 18-16 (December 16, 2013)
- Week 3: Final Score – 23-21 (September 21, 2014)
- Week 4: Final Score – 23-20 (October 1, 2015)
- Week 8: Final Score – 29-26 (November 1, 2015)
- Week 11: Final Score – 16-13 (November 22, 2015)
- Week 16: Final Score – 20-17 (December 27, 2015)
Keep in mind those were just games that were won by three points or less. Here are how many games the Ravens have won off of last-minute or overtime field goal attempts:
- Week 3: Final Score – 31-30 (September 23, 2012)
- Week 12: Final Score – 16-13 (November 25, 2012)
- AFC Divisional Playoff Game: Final Score – 38-35 (January 12, 2013)
- Week 10: Final Score – 20-17 (November 10, 2013)
- Week 15: Final Score – 18-16 (December 16, 2013)
- Week 3: Final Score – 23-21 (September 21, 2014)
- Week 4: Final Score – 23-20 (October 1, 2015)
- Week 8: Final Score – 29-26 (November 1, 2015)
- Week 11: Final Score – 16-13 (November 22, 2015)
Is Justin Tucker worth the franchise tag? Is he a valuable player to the Ravens? Take a look at his highlights and statistics. Remember, there is no wrong answer to these questions — as long as the answers to these questions are “yes.”
