Many outside the Baltimore Ravens locker room have questioned John Harbaugh's recent decisions to go for two points after scoring late touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers and again Sunday versus the Green Bay Packers instead of playing for overtime.
However, inside the locker room, there is consensus support for the choices. Even kicker Justin Tucker, the best of all time, who could be a significant advantage in an OT situation, didn't blink when asked about the two-point choices.
"I fully support it," Tucker told the Ravens' "The Lounge" podcast this week. "Everybody on our team fully supports going for two because you have the chance to put the game away right then and there."
"Of course, there is plenty of folks who have their opinions and comments about it. But it's one of those things where, if you're a part of it, a member of the team, if you're in it, you just understand that is the move. You go for two and you put the game away. If it doesn't work out, you pick up the pieces and you just move on."
Tucker has 18 game-winning kicks. This year alone, he's 8-of-8 on field goals in the fourth quarter and overtime, including a historic 66-yarder in Detroit and one to beat Minnesota in OT.
With Tucker's strong leg and accuracy, the Ravens have an advantage over every opponent when it comes to the kicking game. His ability to bomb field goals would be advantageous if three points would secure a win.
For Harbaugh, however, other factors had to be considered when making his two-point decisions -- chiefly a decimated defensive backfield.
Some might view the choice to go for two as relegating the G.O.A.T. kicker to an afterthought, but that's not close to Tucker's mentality.
"I wanted to make it very well-known," Tucker said, "that I am fully supportive of going for two and winning the game right there."
