Baltimore Ravens: 5 Keys to Victory vs. Arizona Cardinals

Justin Needs to Find His Stroke Again

Oct 18, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Baltimore Ravens kicker

(9) slips as he attempts a field goal during the third quarter of the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi

Justin Tucker is one of the best kickers in the game. There is no doubting that. He has shown that year-after-year since coming to the Ravens. However, things seem to be a little off this season.

You cannot totally blame him for the miss against the San Francisco 49ers. That field has swallowed Tucker’s plant foot last week and Russell Wilson on Thursday night. You would think that a new stadium wouldn’t have so many issues with the turf, but even Tucker said that he still needs to make the kick regardless of the field conditions.

He also missed a kick in Week 5 against the Browns that would have gave the Ravens the extra three points needed to get a win. In all, he has three misses already in 2015 after missing just five all of last season.

The problem with kickers is that the position is one that requires mental toughness and we are about to find out if Tucker has it. He is in a contract year and has seen his fellow kicking mate Sam Koch get his new deal, as well as Jimmy Smith, Will Hill and Marshal Yanda. Tucker needs to find his groove again and his play will take care of the contract situation at some point.

Next: The Special Teams Battle