When your best player is also your smallest player—and football is
most likely his second favorite sport after soccer—it means your team
probably didn’t have a good year. Let’s be honest. If the Ravens didn’t
rank nearly last in the NFL in red-zone touchdown efficiency, this guy
wouldn’t have had such a record-breaking year. That said, there’s no
denying No. 9 put together an incredible sophomore year following his
great rookie season a year ago. There isn’t anyone in the NFL at his
position we’d take over him.
(Schadenfreude note of the week: Speaking of kickers, what a relief to see Kansas City’s Ryan Succop miss a potential game-winning 41 yarder against San Diego. A kick, that if good, would’ve propelled Pittsburgh into the playoffs.)
Stud of the Year:
Justin Tucker
The line:
Three
for three, from 38, 22, and 34 yards, against the Bengals Sunday.
What’s new? On the season, he drilled a league-high 38 field goals on 41
attempts. He hit three game-winners this year and was a remarkable six
of seven from 50 yards-plus.
Studliest moment:
After
hitting all five previous field attempts against Detroit in a must-win,
late-season road game, including boots from 49 and 53 yards, Tucker
delivered the game-winner in the last 38 seconds from the Ravens’ side of the field. His six field-goal performance as well as his 61 yarder set new Ravens’ records.
The clincher:
Tucker, awarded a recent Pro Bowl selection, also volunteers around town at local Ravens’ events like the
Big Brothers, Big Sisters “Biggest Little Tailgate Party” at M&T
Bank Stadium, the NFL’s “Play 60” initiative, and the opening ceremony
for Patterson Park’s new Youth Sports and Education Center. And, he gave
an on-camera shout-out to his fantasy football team owners after his big scoring day against Detriot.