In a year that’s been filled with surprises – both good and bad – for NFL kickers, perhaps the biggest one of the season came on Sunday in Baltimore.
With his team trailing the New Orleans Saints 24-23 following a touchdown reception, the most accurate kicker in NFL history lined up to kick the extra point.
And, for the first time since he was a 16-year-old kid in Austin, Texas, Justin Tucker missed.
The announcer just jinxed the hell out of Justin Tucker! #NOvsBAL pic.twitter.com/U7gA3L25kI
— History of Sports (@BeforeFamePics) October 21, 2018
Justin Tucker had never missed an extra point in his NFL career (222-222).
24-23 with 24 seconds left – his first miss … WOW 😳
📺: FOX #NOvsBALpic.twitter.com/tiHCBUDXWT— ESPN (@espn) October 21, 2018
Tucker did kick again during the game when Baltimore went for an onside attempt, but it failed and the one-point margin held up as New Orleans escaped with the win.
It could have been the 14-MPH wind that pushed the ball wide-right or Tucker could have shanked it.
Either way, he decided to face the music and spoke to the media following the milestone miss.
“You play long enough you’re gonna have a kick you want back, and tonight was that night for me,” Tucker said. “The only thing we can do is go to work and try to make the best out of a bad situation. I appreciate the efforts of my teammates putting me in a position to extend the game and unfortunately I wasn’t able to put the ball through the uprights.”
Justin Tucker says he asked to be at the podium after missing the extra-point attempt that sealed the #Ravens’ loss. pic.twitter.com/n1uSo4DPvw
— Aaron Kasinitz (@AaronKazreports) October 21, 2018
Whether you’re looking to get into shape, or just get out of a funk, The Charge has got you covered. Sign up for our new wellness newsletter today.
