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- Justin Tucker hit a 66-yard game-winning field goal against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
- While it was just one play, the record-setting kick was years in the making.
- Tucker took an extra hop-step before his run-up, a tactic he had mentioned in a 2017 interview.
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Justin Tucker is the greatest kicker alive, and on Sunday, he proved that fact once again, hitting an NFL record-setting 66-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Baltimore Ravens to victory over the Detroit Lions.
Kicking from the opposite side of the Lions logo at midfield, Tucker sent his shot barrelling through the air towards the uprights.
After a tense bounce off the crossbar, the ball kept pushing forward through the posts to get the Ravens the win and write Tucker's name into NFL history.
-NFL (@NFL) September 26, 2021
Tucker has teased his potential for a record-setting kick and has hit from 70 yards and beyond in practice. Sunday's kick was just one play, but it was the result of years of practice and planning from the Baltimore kicker.
In 2017, Tucker spoke with Kevin Clark of The Ringer about his quest to kick a 70-yard field goal. In the piece, Tucker revealed one slight modification he'd have to make to push such a long field goal through the air.
"The only thing that changes is I might just jump into the ball a little bit more, to put a little more extra mustard on it, but I prefer to keep everything consistent from one kick to the next," Tucker said. "I'd probably be a little bit more aggressive."
On Sunday, Tucker put his theory from four years ago into practice.
Watch Tucker's kick one more time. After his typical set-up routine, at the last second, he takes an extra step back and then can be seen taking an extra hop-step at the start.
Now let's compare Tucker's approach on Sunday to that of his game-winning kick against the Cleveland Browns last season.
Tucker is set up for a 55-yard field goal with the game and just seconds remaining in the game. Fifty-five yards is a big ask from NFL kickers, even if seeing players score from that far out has become more commonplace in recent years.
But as we can see by Tucker's approach, he is confident he has the leg for it, smoothly approaching the ball and sending it through the uprights for the win.
-John Breech (@johnbreech) December 15, 2020
Tucker took a similar approach with another 60+ yard attempt when he beat the Lions back in 2013. Once again, there is no hop-step in his run-up to the ball.
-The Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) September 26, 2021
After winning the game against the Lions on Sunday, Tucker was asked how far back he had set up his approach compared to a standard kick.
"I honestly have to look at it," Tucker said, per ESPN. "I was kind of having a little bit of like an out-of-body experience for a minute."
After years of preparation for the one scenario that would send him out for an attempt from a record-setting distance, Tucker was ready for the moment.