OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Here's a statement that would have seemed like a shocker for at least the last decade:
The Baltimore Ravens lost because of inferior placekicking.
Justin Tucker's struggles show no sign of subsiding. And after two more missed field goals in an 18-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, coach John Harbaugh was actually asked Monday if the Ravens might bring someone in to compete with their 34-year-old kicker.
That would be quite a step given Tucker's stellar career to this point, but it was a legitimate question.
“No, there’s no thought to that,” Harbaugh said. “You have to find that competition first if you’re going to be blunt about it. Where is that competition? That would be one thing. The best option right now is to get Justin back on point, because he’s fully capable of doing it.”
Tucker missed wide left from 47 and 50 yards, and although he rebounded to make a 54-yard kick, the damage was done. And on a day when opposing kicker Chris Boswell went 6 of 6 on field goals to account for all of Pittsburgh's points, the contrast was startling.
Tucker has already missed six field goals this season, equaling his most since 2015. The five-time All-Pro is considered one of the greatest of all-time at his position, but recently he has not only failed to reach that level — he has become downright unreliable.
“Part of the way we stay confident is by continuing to work and trust the process,” Tucker said. "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.”
What's working
The Ravens (7-4) still look like they'll be a tough out. Even on a day when a lot of things went wrong, they were right there at the end, with a chance to tie it on a 2-point conversion. They still haven't lost a game, this season or last, by more than one score.
What needs help
Baltimore is the most penalized team in the league, and although the offense has largely succeeded in spite of that, the flags caught up to the Ravens on Sunday. Baltimore had 12 penalties for 80 yards.
“The buck stops here,” Harbaugh said. "It’s my job to make sure we’re doing the things that we have to do — from a coaching standpoint, from a drill standpoint, from an emphasis standpoint, technique standpoint — and making sure guys understand that it’s not OK. It’s not acceptable. We’ve all got to be intentional about getting it stopped, and it’s my job to make sure everybody is focused on it.”
Stock up
The defense rebounded nicely after allowing 34 points in a win over Cincinnati. The Ravens have had a hard time all season against the pass, but they kept Pittsburgh out of the end zone even when turnovers put the defense in a couple tough positions.
Stock down
Receivers Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman caught only two passes apiece. Flowers scored a late touchdown, but Lamar Jackson and Baltimore's passing game were largely contained.
“They played really good defense. They’re aggressive, they’re physical, they made tackles,” Harbaugh said. "(We had) our guys running open sometimes that we didn’t have time to get to or whatever, or we just didn’t capitalize when we could. We had the penalties that set us behind schedule. So, it’s a combination of all those things. I can’t really narrow it down to one thing.”
Injuries
Star linebacker Roquan Smith exited with a hamstring injury. Harbaugh did not have an update on his status.
Key number
1 — The number of times Pittsburgh has scored more than 20 points against Baltimore in their last nine meetings. Yet the Steelers have won eight of those games.
Next steps
The Ravens play at Los Angeles against the Chargers next Monday night in a coaching matchup between brothers John and Jim Harbaugh. After that comes another tough challenge for Baltimore — at home against Philadelphia — followed by the Ravens' bye week break.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Noah Trister, The Associated Press
