It felt like the day would never come but the mighty Justin Tucker, kicker for the Baltimore Ravens, has relinquished his title as the most accurate kicker in NFL history.
With two field goal misses on Sunday against the AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers, Tucker’s all-time field goal percentage dipped to 89.15% (411 out of 461).
The man who usurped Tucker’s place at the top of the all-time list? The Carolina Panthers’ Eddy Pineiro.
The 29-year-old, now in his seventh season in the league, has made 101 out of 113 field goal attempts (89.38%).
Carolina was on its bye week and did not even play Sunday, making it a passive overthrow of Tucker’s title.
Although, the 34-year-old can still reclaim his throne as the season progresses. However, that will be a tougher task than it seems.
It’s not been an ideal season for Tucker as he’s missed four field goals so far (15-for-19) compared to Pineiro being nearly perfect (12-of-13).
Granted, Baltimore’s offense is much higher in quality compared to Carolina and will likely see more red zone opportunities and sustained drives across midfield.
But as Tucker demonstrated against Pittsburgh on Sunday, just because a kicker’s range is impressive and their reputation precedes them doesn’t mean they’re automatic.
