Justin Tucker’s erratic season isn’t getting any better, and it’s hurting Baltimore’s outlook

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — The biggest question facing the Baltimore Ravens right now has little to do with Lamar Jackson or even a defense that started the season poorly.

It’s about a kicking conundrum that has turned into a crisis.

Can the Ravens make it to the Super Bowl with Justin Tucker?

One of the more surprising subplots of this NFL season has been Tucker’s decline from one of the greatest of all time to a week-in, week-out liability. Sunday’s loss to Philadelphia might have been the nadir — he missed two field goals and an extra point in a game the Ravens ultimately lost 24-19.

“Points were at a premium in the game. They have been in a few of these games. Sometimes we haven’t made the most of our opportunity to score points,” coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “We’re racking our brains, talking to Justin, looking at what we’re doing. I’m very confident that it’s going to get fixed. I believe it will. It has to.

“And he’s the guy to get it fixed.”

Harbaugh has given every indication that he’s standing by Tucker, who is in his 13th season and is under contract through 2027. When he’s at his best, he’s the type of kicker that gives his team a clear advantage in close games, but this season he has missed eight field goals.

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Sunday showed that against a good defensive team, the Ravens (8-5) can’t simply assume their excellent offense will pile up points. There almost certainly will be close games in the weeks to come. Tucker’s ability to come through will be tested again, and it’s hard for Baltimore to feel too confident at the moment.

“When he was hitting, three or four years ago, hitting bombs, we were going 57, 58, 56 pretty regularly,” Harbaugh said. “That’s tightened up a little bit.”

What’s working

The Ravens continue to do a good job stopping the run. Although Saquon Barkley did eventually surpass the 100-yard mark late in the game, Baltimore held the Eagles to 140 yards on the ground, well below their usual output.

What needs help

Even beyond Tucker’s problems, Sunday wasn’t a great showing by Baltimore’s special teams. Tylan Wallace was shaky returning punts, and the Ravens had to start four drives inside their own 20 and two inside their own 10.

“They had great bounces, and they downed right down in there,” Wallace said. “I’m pretty sure we’ll come back and talk about those and see what we can do to avoid those.”

Stock up

The Ravens’ defense continued to show signs of improvement, holding Philadelphia to 252 total yards.

“I think we’ve just locked in on some things, and we’re playing our deep coverages better, bottom line,” Harbaugh said. “You watch the coverage, you watch the guys’ spacing, positioning, eyes, the communication, the checks that get made, and you just keep chasing doing the right things. It’s not (that we) changed the defense. We’re just playing it a lot better.”

Stock down

Harbaugh was vague on receiver Diontae Johnson’s situation. He was active Sunday but didn’t play, and he has only one catch in four games since the Ravens acquired him in a trade from Carolina.

“I’m going to have to wait just to clarify it,” Harbaugh said. “There’s some moving parts there that we’re going to have to figure out and explore and just see where we’re at. I know that’s not the answer you want, but that’s the best I can do in fairness to everybody right now.”

Injuries

The Ravens were missing pass-rushing ace Kyle Van Noy (hamstring/neck) on Sunday, and WR Rashod Bateman was dealing with knee soreness.

Key stats

Through his first 12 seasons, Tucker made field goals at a 90% clip. That’s dropped to 70% this season. He had a 95% success rate from under 50 yards, and that’s dipped to 83%.

Next steps

The Ravens have this week off before a Dec. 15 road game against the New York Giants. Then comes a home matchup with Pittsburgh that may determine whether Baltimore has any shot to win the AFC North.

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