Bill Belichick Identifies Ravens' Justin Tucker's Struggles

The Baltimore Ravens are in uncharted territory with their future Hall of Fame kicker.

Dec 1, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker (9) watches his failed third quarter field goal attempt against the Philadelphia Eagles at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images / Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

The sudden and drastic decline of Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker has sent shockwaves throughout not just the team, but the football world as a whole.

Tucker held the title of the most-accurate kicker in NFL history for a very long time, but he's been anything but this season. The 35-year-old kicker has missed 10 kicks this season (eight field goals and two extra points), and his accuracy issues are costing the Ravens dearly. On Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, he left seven points on the board (two field goals and an extra point) in a 24-19 loss.

Everyone, both in and out of the Ravens' building, trying to figure out what's gone wrong for Tucker this season. Recently, legendary New England Patriots coach and longtime Ravens foe Bill Belichick shared his perspective on Tucker's issues on the "Let's Go!" podcast.

“Obviously there’s something that’s a little bit off from a technique standpoint, but I don’t see that there’s like a lack of talent," Belichick said. "I think there’s something mechanically that he’s not doing consistently. If you have the key to unlock that problem, then probably everything could be great.

“But clearly this extends back even to last year a little bit, too, because there was some accuracy issues last year in the ‘23 season as well as the current season. So I think Coach Harbaugh is doing the right thing. I would stick with Justin Tucker. This guy was the most accurate kicker in the history of football. He gets great height on the ball. He’s been super consistent. He’s obviously having a little bit of a rough patch right here but it doesn’t look to me like his talent level has declined. There’s something mechanically that just isn’t quite right all the time. I think they just gotta work hard and try to find that.”

Indeed, there were some warning signs beforehand. Last season, Tucker made just one of five field goals from 50+ yards away, the worst rate of his career even including this season. Still, no one expected a decline like this so suddenly.

Belichick, who worked with two of the greatest kickers of all time in Adam Vinatieri and Stephen Gostkowski, seems to have a point in his assessment of Tucker. All of his misses this season have been wide (mostly wide left), not short. Power is not the issue, accuracy is.

The Ravens remain publicly committed to Tucker and don't seem keen on bringing in any competition, so they're banking on him to turn things around soon.

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