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          NFL Nation

          Justin Tucker earned historic distinction in '17 despite Pro Bowl, All-Pro snub

          • Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff WriterJan 17, 2018, 12:01 PM
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              Jamison Hensley is a reporter covering the Baltimore Ravens for ESPN. Jamison joined ESPN in 2011, covering the AFC North before focusing exclusively on the Ravens beginning in 2013. Jamison won the National Sports Media Association Maryland Sportswriter of the Year award in 2018, and he authored a book titled: Flying High: Stories of the Baltimore Ravens. He was the Ravens beat writer for the Baltimore Sun from 2000-2011.
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          Justin Tucker didn't make the Pro Bowl or first-team All-Pro, but the Baltimore Ravens kicker finished the season with a more impressive accolade.

          Tucker quietly reclaimed his title as the most accurate kicker in NFL history.

          In Week 14, Tucker passed Dan Bailey after the Dallas Cowboys kicker missed two field goals. Tucker's 90.2 percent success rate is two points better than any other kicker in league history.

          Tucker put together an impressive 2017 season, making 34-of-37 field goals (91.9 percent). He finished by converting his last 19 attempts, and his only misses came from 58, 62 and 46 yards.

          In the midst of his season-ending hot streak, Tucker became the fastest pure kicker in NFL history to reach 800 career points, doing so in his 95th regular-season game.

          “I hadn’t really taken the chance to reflect upon my season as an individual," Tucker said a day after the Ravens' season abruptly ended. "I don’t really care to -- ever. I think more importantly, we have to win."

          Tucker missed out on the Pro Bowl to Pittsburgh's Chris Boswell, who finished with a slightly higher success rate this season (92.1 percent, 35-of-38). Boswell set himself apart with four game-winning field goals this season, including three as time expired against the Colts, Packers and Bengals.

          It was a similar situation with the All-Pro team, where Tucker was the runner-up to the Los Angeles Rams' Greg Zuerlein by seven votes. Zuerlein led the league with 158 points despite missing the last two games because of season-ending back surgery. He was 38-of-40 on field goals (95 percent), including 18-of-19 from 40 yards and beyond.

          Tucker, however, took the season-ending loss to the Bengals harder than the lack of individual honors because it eliminated Baltimore from the playoffs.

          "It’s because we knew we were on the precipice of something great," Tucker said. "We knew we had an opportunity, and we simply didn’t capitalize."

          Tucker has been equally successful in the postseason, hitting on all eight of his field goal attempts. In this year's playoffs, the kickers have missed five goals (23-of-28). That's more than Tucker has missed the past two seasons combined (72-of-76).