The Ravens' 1-2 start to the 2024 season hasn't been ideal, but it's happened for a variety of reasons.
Baltimore's defense collapsed in a 26-23 loss to the Raiders in Week 2. TE Isaiah Likely was within a toe of the Ravens beating the Chiefs in Week 1. And, despite a 28-25 win over the Cowboys last week, Lamar Jackson and company nearly blew a 28-6 lead in the fourth quarter.
Through the tough stretch, kicker Justin Tucker, usually known as one of the league's best at his position, hasn't been as effective as usual. Tucker's accuracy struggles have come entirely on field goals, ultimately preventing Baltimore from tacking on an extra three points on multiple occasions.
Here's a look at Tucker's lower-than-usual field goal stats in 2024 so far, what head coach John Harbaugh has said about his struggles and a look at Tucker's career numbers as one of the most accurate kickers ever.
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Justin Tucker field goal stats 2024
Through three games, Tucker is 5-for-8 on field goal attempts. His three misses have come from 46 yards, 56 yards and 53 yards, one in each of Baltimore's games.
The 62.5 percent conversion on field goals would by far be the worst of Tucker's career, though there are a lot of games left to be played. With that, he's knocked down all eight of his extra-point attempts, so there aren't any full-blown alarms ringing about the kicker's performance.
However, three missed field goals, none of which have come from 60-plus yards out, from one of the most historically accurate kickers is unusual.
Kickers have a short leash in the NFL, but Tucker's may be longer as a beloved Raven making the third-highest amount at the position behind Harrison Butker and Jake Elliott. If he doesn't make improvements soon, though, Baltimore could be forced to make a change.
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What did John Harbaugh say about Justin Tucker's struggles?
After the Ravens' win over the Cowboys, Harbaugh said Tucker's struggles lately have been from "a technique issue."
Ravens K Justin Tucker, the most accurate kicker in NFL history before the season, has been the least accurate kicker this year (5 of 8). John Harbaugh says he's dealing with a technique issue. "He knows exactly what it is and he just needs to smooth it back out."
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) September 23, 2024
Tucker himself spoke about his inconsistencies, saying he "let three kicks get away from (him) early this season."
Justin Tucker: “It’s definitely fair to say that more recently I've been working through just a technique thing. For the most part, we've been striking the ball really, really well. And then I have let three kicks get away from me early this season.” pic.twitter.com/sSjUXPbor7
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) September 25, 2024
It's unclear what the exact "technique issue" Tucker's having is, but his performance is worth keeping an eye on entering Baltimore's Week 4 matchup against the Bills on Sunday night.
MORE: Updated list of the longest field goals made and attempted in NFL history
Justin Tucker year-by-year, career stats
Tucker, now 34, may be dealing with some issues in 2024, but he's already solidified his status as one of the NFL's best kickers of all time.
With 400 career field goals, he ranks 13th all-time in the category, per Pro Football Reference. The NFL record is 599, set by Adam Vinatieri. Tucker also owns the longest field goal in NFL history with a 66-yard boot in 2021.
Here's a look at Tucker's year-by-year and career numbers over his 13 seasons, all with Baltimore:
Season | Games | FGM-FGA | FG% | Longest FG (yards) | XPM-XPA | Pts |
2012 | 16 | 30-33 | 90.9% | 56 | 42-42 | 132 |
2013 | 16 | 38-41 | 92.7% | 61 | 26-26 | 140 |
2014 | 16 | 29-34 | 85.3% | 55 | 42-42 | 129 |
2015 | 16 | 33-40 | 82.5% | 52 | 29-29 | 128 |
2016 | 16 | 38-39 | 97.4% | 57 | 27-27 | 141 |
2017 | 16 | 34-37 | 91.9% | 57 | 39-39 | 141 |
2018 | 16 | 35-39 | 89.7% | 56 | 36-37 | 141 |
2019 | 16 | 28-29 | 96.6% | 51 | 57-59 | 141 |
2020 | 16 | 26-29 | 89.7% | 55 | 52-53 | 130 |
2021 | 17 | 35-37 | 94.6% | 66 | 32-32 | 137 |
2022 | 17 | 37-43 | 86.0% | 58 | 31-32 | 142 |
2023 | 17 | 32-37 | 86.5% | 50 | 51-52 | 147 |
2024 | 3 | 5-8 | 62.5% | 48 | 8-8 | 23 |
TOTALS: | 81 | 400-446 | 89.7% | 66 | 472-478 | 1,672 |