As the NFL continues to grow its game overseas, it perhaps couldn't have asked for a better tutor than Justin Tucker. The Baltimore Ravens kicker slowed down the game for European sports fans used to a more leggy brand of football, kicking six field goals en route to a 24-16 victory in London over the Tennessee Titans.
With his triples, Tucker accounted for all but six of Baltimore's points and revisited a brand of personal history: at the home of Tottenham Hotspur FC, the storied kicker had one of his most prominent hours, successfully converting a career-best six field goals in a single game for the first time since December 2013.
"It was pretty cool to feel love from the fans," Tucker said with a smirk, per Ryan Mink of the Ravens' official site. "Obviously, this is a place in the world where they love kickers of balls. Being able to put on just a little bit of a show for them was a lot of fun."
Ironically enough, Tucker's lone blemish came on an extra point, one blocked after the Ravens' long end zone visit of the day (a 10-yard Zay Flowers touchdown reception from Lamar Jackson). But Sunday served as an undoubted return to form for the Ravens' longtime leg, whose box score lingered at a very un-Tucker-like pace based on a simple glance (5-of-7 with both misses from at least 50 yards away).
Any Tucker surplus, however, is a double-edged sword: a glass-half-empty way of looking at six Tucker field goals is seeing them as six missed touchdowns, especially when distance is considered. Tucker's longest triple of the afternoon came from 41 yards away and half of them were shorter than 30. Perhaps one such boot is understandable, especially the one from 29 as the first half expired, but capitalizing on red zone visits is the easiest path to the top of the AFC.
Tucker's teammates provided a mix of gratitude and accountability in the British aftermath.
"I am really thankful for Justin, he made all those kicks," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said. "It's probably fun for the crowd here to see, but we need to score (touchdowns). That could have been a much more comfortable game for us if we'd done that."
"We do a great job with driving the ball down the field, but it's like every time we get there, it's like we're just kicking field goals, it's up to 'Tuck,'" quarterback Lamar Jackson, earner of 285 total yards on Sunday. "But we don't need that. (We have to) protect the ball."
The Ravens (4-2) have an instant opportunity to improve on their red zone affairs, as they return to action next Sunday afternoon against the Detroit Lions.
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