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Tony Romo Defends Justin Tucker After Another Brutal Missed Kick
Justin Tucker is still struggling.
It’s gotten so bad that Tony Romo found it necessary to defend the All-Pro kicker.
On Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens led the Philadelphia Eagles 3-0 in the first quarter when Lamar Jackson hit tight end Mark Andrews for a 14-yard touchdown pass. Tucker came out to kick the extra point and slammed it straight into the left upright, causing an impressively loud "doink" to reverberate throughout M&T Bank Stadium. Romo immediately jumped to the kicker's defense.
"He's been automatic his entire career,” Romo said. “You know [John] Harbaugh still trusts him but it's getting later and later in the year. I think he'll figure it out but it's getting close."
"He's been automatic his entire career. You know Harbaugh still trusts him but it's getting later and later in the year. I think he'll figure it out but it's getting close."
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 1, 2024
- Tony Romo after a noisy doink from Justin Tucker. pic.twitter.com/F1jhNUM4BE
Tucker made a 34-yard field goal earlier in the game.
The 35-year-old is a seven-time Pro Bowler and an eight-time All-Pro who made the first team five times. He is one of the best kickers in NFL history, but this season has been a disaster.
Heading into the game, Tucker had made just 8-of-14 on kicks of 40 yards or more this year. He has currently made 75% of his field goals this season—the lowest mark in his career for a full season was 82.5% back in 2015.
Despite the early miss, Tucker was quick to find his footing, drilling a 50-yard field goal just before halftime to cut the Eagles’ lead to 14-12.
Justin Tucker hits a 50-yarder just before halftime.
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 1, 2024
Folks, we've got a tight one on CBS & Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/BE9NQ02wyf
Maybe Romo’s words of encouragement helped.
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Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.