In one sense, Justin Tucker was in uncharted territory. He had never missed a field goal in three straight games before this season.
In another sense, he was right at home in a high-pressure situation.
Tucker came through with two clutch kicks in the Ravens' 41-38 win in Cincinnati, hitting a 56-yard field goal to tie the game late in the fourth quarter, then a 24-yarder to win it in overtime.
"I'm just so proud of Justin," Head Coach John Harbaugh said. "That's not an easy kick by any stretch and he drilled it."
For the first time in a long time, Tucker had the difficulty early this season of having to work through a stretch of struggles. He and coaches took the same approach they always do, to drill down into the details. They found there was a "technique" issue with the way he was striking the ball.
But when it comes to hitting clutch kicks, there's been nobody as steady as Tucker over the years.
"Any time you're tested with the situation that we were in this particular game, you either have the choice to rise to the occasion or to fold up like a cheap suit and I didn't want to do that," Tucker said.
"I left a couple out there earlier in the season. To come through in a big way like we did today – and I emphasize we – Nick [Moore], Jordan [Stout], the guys up front, is particularly satisfying."
Tucker missed twice from beyond 50 yards in the first two games of the season, which pushed him to 1-of-7 from that range since the start of last year.
Then Tucker missed a 46-yarder in Dallas that kept the door open for the Cowboys' fourth-quarter comeback. He didn't attempt any field goals in Week 4 against the Buffalo Bills.
It was a trying start for the most accurate kicker in NFL history. But when he stepped onto the field for the 56-yard attempt with the game on the line and 1:35 remaining, he and his teammates had faith.
"I had all the confidence in the world. I know who he is. I wasn't worried about what happened earlier in the season," quarterback Lamar Jackson said. "Sometimes the 'G.O.A.T.' may miss, but he came back, and when we needed him, he conquered."
The was a strong crosswind at Paycor Stadium, but Tucker is accustomed to kicking in the AFC North's challenging conditions. Tucker said Senior Special Teams Coach Randy Brown always tells them not to "give the uprights away" on windy kicks, meaning not to aim outside the goal posts.
But on his 56-yard attempt, Tucker said there was a different feel on the field, so he decided along with holder Jordan Stout to "smash this ball and let it play back in."
"If I started outside the left upright, at least I'm going to give it a chance that it doesn't leak all the way across the face of the uprights," Tucker said.
