For the second straight year, Justin Tucker is the AFC's Pro Bowl runner up at kicker.
Tucker was named a first alternate to New York Jets kicker Jason Myers, and leads Baltimore's list of Pro Bowl snubs this year.
To be fair, Myers has posted slightly better stats than Tucker this year. Myers has made the most field goals in the NFL (31) and missed only two. His 93.9 success rate is a tick higher than Tucker's (93.3). Tucker has made 28 of 30 attempts.
Both of Tucker's misses, however, came on blocks. Thus, he hasn't truly "missed" a field goal all year.
Here was Tucker's reaction when he saw the news:
Diving deeper into the stats, Myers made more from longer. Ten of Tucker's field goals were from under 30 yards, and he hit 12 from 40 yards and beyond. Myers had just four under 30 and connected on 15 from 40-plus, missing only one attempt from that distance.
Myers missed three extra points while Tucker missed one, though Tucker's got national attention because it prevented overtime in a 24-23 loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 7.
Tucker was named the AFC's Special Teams Player of the Month twice – September and November. Myers has not won the monthly award.
This seems to be the rare case where name recognition did not help Tucker. Tucker has the highest field-goal percentage in NFL history and had yet another superb season. Myers, who spent his first three seasons in Jacksonville before going to New York this offseason, had a career field-goal percentage under 80 percent before skyrocketing this year.
Other Ravens who could have made the Pro Bowl but fell short include left tackle Ronnie Stanley, (a second alternate), cornerback Marlon Humphrey, defensive tackle Michael Pierce and punter Sam Koch.
Stanley is graded as the ninth-best left tackle in the league by PFF, and has given up just one sack all season. He's been a big part of Baltimore's revitalized run game and anchored the left side of an offensive line that has given up the sixth-fewest sacks in the league.
Humphrey is graded as the 15th best cornerback in the NFL by Pro Football Focus (PFF). He's held quarterbacks to a 76.5 rating this season, though he just notched his first interception of the season against Tampa Bay. On Tuesday, Ravens Defensive Coordinator Wink Martindale said Humphrey's the team's best cornerback, and the Ravens have the third-best pass defense in the league. Problem is, Humphrey hasn't become a household name – yet.
"As quiet as it's kept – he's the best corner we have. He's playing to that level," Martindale said. "I think he's just going to continue to grow the more he studies the tape, the more he studies himself, the more he studies the gameplan – which he's done all season. I think you're just going to see bigger and better things from him."
Pierce has the ninth-best run stuffing grade among all defensive tackles and is just outside PFF's top 10 overall. He's had a resurgent third season, along with a strong campaign by Brandon Williams.
Suggs is a seven-time Pro Bowler and went last year. He has seven sacks this season, which ranks 30th in the NFL. He's still an massive part of Baltimore's top-ranked defense, both in run stopping and pass rushing.
Koch isn't among the NFL's leaders in terms of the metrics, but there's no doubt that he's still at or near the top of the league's best punters. He also is still perfect on trick play passes.
