Justin Tucker might not be the same kicker he once was, but that doesn't mean the Ravens are ready to dump him.
Baltimore is not considering trying out replacements for Tucker, head coach John Harbaugh told reporters on Monday, one day after Tucker missed two field goals in a two-point loss to the rival Pittsburgh Steelers.
"The best option right now is to get Justin back on point because he is fully capable of doing it," Harbaugh said, via team transcript. "[We] certainly haven't lost any confidence in Justin Tucker."
Tucker's kicking struggles played a significant part in Sunday's defeat, robbing the Ravens of points on two possessions in a low-scoring affair. Baltimore eventually fought its way back into the game with its best drive of the day, but because the Ravens trailed by eight points late when they scored a touchdown, they were forced to go for two.
The play they ran never had a chance of working as intended. Truthfully, the Ravens never should have been in such a position to begin with, but Tucker's misses -- plus a generally disjointed afternoon offensively -- put them there.
Questions about Tucker's viability aren't based solely on Sunday's performance. Tucker is in the midst of his worst season in the NFL, owning a conversion rate below 73% through 11 weeks. Once known as the most accurate kicker in NFL history (until Sunday's misses dropped him from that prestigious throne), Tucker is now an unreliable option, if not a liability.
"He's going to get it figured out," Harbaugh said on Monday. "We have coaches. We have technique. We look at the tape. He's practicing well. He's got to kick it straight."
There is good news. Both misses were hooked wide left, indicating Tucker might just be able to correct his technique to solve the issue. But he's already had to answer for such struggles earlier this season, and delivered a similar response, stating that he was working through a technique problem.
Since then, Tucker has doubled his missed attempt total from three to six. All have followed the same flight path: wide left.
"I'm still confident I'm going to go out there and nail every single kick," Tucker said after Sunday's game, via team transcript. "Part of the way we stay confident is by continuing to work and trust the process, and I know that sounds like ... I might sound like a broken record, but it's a part of what brings us success -- is just trusting the process and then taking it one kick at a time."
Luckily for Tucker, he has more than a decade of success under his belt, buying him the leeway needed to work through these struggles. But an AFC title contender doesn't have unlimited patience.
Over the next seven weeks, Tucker needs to prove he can be counted on. Otherwise, the Ravens will be obligated to consider replacements.
