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Justin Tucker after hitting a historic field goal
In the previous match of the Baltimore Ravens in front of Detroit Lions, there was one player who was mentioned much more than the rest.
No he was not Lamar Jackson. It was Justin Tucker. The player converted six field goals in a 2013 regular-season game win over Detroit. That included his longest kick of 61 yards as the game ended.
Tucker improved his record on Sunday, breaking the NFL record with a 66-yard field goal on the final play of the game to give the Ravens a 19-17 victory over the Lions, improving the team’s record to 2-1. .
The kick barely covered the distance. It bounced off the crossbar as time ran out on the clock. All of Tucker’s classmates went looking for him.
Today’s victory was Baltimore’s third straight game to be decided at the last minute. Lost their first game to the Las Vegas Raiders in overtime, while Lamar Jackson converted a fourth attempt with one yard to go to confirm victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in week two.
Ravens Twitter exploded after winning field goal
Of course the Ravens fans went wild after Tucker’s historic kick and the former University of Texas kicker was proclaimed the best kicker in history.
It’s easy to agree as Tucker now has the longest field goal in history and the best field goal percentage converted. The 66-yard field goal surpassed Matt Prater’s 64-yard mark as the longest in history, a mark Tucker had wanted to achieve.
The Baltimore Orioles’ top prospect, pitcher Grayson Rodriguez, who grew up in Texas where Tucker studied, tweeted his support for his sports buddy from Maryland.
The fans showed no mercy to Detroit, pointing out how much Tucker has dominated the team. He is the only kicker to convert two field goals over 60 yards, both of which were defining kicks at Ford Field. Images from the stands show the utter disappointment in the stadium as the few Ravens fans present celebrate the victory.
The field goal attempt was only made possible by Jackson’s conversion at fourth and 19. He completed a 36-yard pass to Sammy Watkins to get to Detroit’s 48-yard line, allowing Tucker to attempt his crucial field goal.
The play was Jackson’s second save in a row on fourth down after he made the play on fourth and one to go to defeat the Chiefs.
Analysts praise Tucker
NFL analysts applauded Tucker, not only for his winning kick, but also for breaking an NFL record at the same time.
Former tight end Shannon Sharpe, Hall of Famer and FOX Sports radio personality, praised Tucker for his ability to deliver again for the Ravens at such a critical time.
Former linebacker and Current FOX Sports analyst Emmanual Acho spoke about Tucker’s confidence when they both played for the University of Texas. He said “Justin Tucker never kicked a field goal that he couldn’t convert.”
Tucker’s conversion is even more incredible when compared to other statistical achievements from other sports.
For instance, as detailed by Todd Furman of CBS Sports, Tucker racked up more yards on his 66-yard field goal than the entire Los Angeles offense. Chicago Bears, as they only added a total of 47 yards in the 26-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
Danny Heifetz, de The Ringer, he also noted that Tucker’s 71% percentage of field goal attempts of 50 or more yards is higher than Lebron James’s 68% percentage of free throws made since joining the Lakers.
With the record for distance and consistency, it won’t be too hard to believe that Justin Tucker is retiring as the best kicker in NFL history and a sure contender for the Hall of Fame.
This is the original version of Heavy.com
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