Justin Tucker continues to impress.
The Ravens kicker drilled a 53-yard field goal in the* pouring rain during* first quarter of Sunday's matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, which tied the NFL record for 10 field goals of at least 50 yards in a single season. Former Vikings kicker Blair Walsh originally set that record in 2012.
"It's great to have another accolade, another 'piece to put on the mantle,' but at the exact same time there's a lot more important stuff to take care of, and that starts with getting a win in Pittsburgh on Christmas day," Tucker said after the 27-26 victory over Philadelphia.
Tucker is now 10-for-10 on field goals of at least 50 yards this season, and the kick he made against the Eagles was one of the most impressive on his resume this season. Tucker hit the kick in the rain on a wet field, with the winds swirling around M&T Bank Stadium. The wind was so bad that on the ensuing kickoff, [comma] the football wouldn't even stay on the kicking tee without someone holding it.
Tucker also hit a 47-yard field goal on the second quarter against Philadelphia.
"It was pretty difficult," Tucker said. "Trying to nail down exactly what the wind was doing – it was swirling pretty good in there – but, it wouldn't be a Ravens game if we didn't have to deal with some sort of adversity."
Tucker's success from beyond 50 yards is an area of tremendous improvement for him this season. He had gone 8-of-19 beyond 50 yards in the last two seasons combined.
Hitting his 10th field goal beyond 50 yards this year continues a tremendous season for Tucker. He had a streak of 35-consectutive successful field goals that was snapped by a block last week against the New England Patriots, where he really had no chance to connect.
He's now 33-of-34 on field-goal attempts this season, and has made all of his extra-point attempts.
"Tucker is just so good," Head Coach John Harbaugh said. "'Tuck' is so accurate, and he has such a strong leg – he can make those kicks. Today was tough. There was a lot of wind out there, so that's a credit to him."
