Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker couldn’t help cracking a joke after his game-winning, record-setting field goal against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
“I love Detroit. I’m thinking about getting a place here,” said Tucker, who has kicked 10 field goals in two career games at Ford Field, including Sunday’s 66-yarder that stands as the longest make in NFL history.
Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey got in on the fun as well, calling Tucker “Legatron” just hours after the Lions honored former wide receiver Calvin ‘Megatron’ Johnson with his Hall of Fame ring.
“In the words of Anthony Levine, he said ‘he’s Legatron.'”
Tucker was mobbed his teammates on the field seconds after his kick bounced off the crossbar and through the uprights, with the celebrations continuing into the locker room, during postgame press conferences and on social media.
Head coach John Harbaugh embraced Tucker on the field after the game, telling him “We’ll be talking about this forever. I’m so proud of you.”
Lamar Jackson also congratulated Tucker after the game, to which the ever-humble kicker responded, “We’re going as far as you go, bro.”
Chills.
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Tucker received another round of applause upon entering the locker room, eventually getting lifted up on the shoulders of veterans Calais Campbell and Alejandro Villanueva, both of whom blocked for the game-winning kick.
“Pick him up and carry him around the locker room!”
Current and Former Ravens React
But the celebrations didn’t stop there, as Tucker’s former and current teammates heaped praise on the record-setting kicker on social media, with several calling him the best kicker to ever play the game.
Wideout Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown, who drew the ire of many fans early in the game after dropping two would-be touchdowns on the same drive, shouted out Tucker on Twitter for securing the victory against the Lions.
Tight end Mark Andrews watched the final play from the bench, screaming his approval at Tucker’s made field goal.
The most pure thing you will watch today.
When the kick is good…
He talked about the moment after the game, saying the kick was “incredible” and giving props to the entire field goal unit for coming through in a high-pressure situation.
“That’s the guy you want, he’s the GOAT,” said Andrews of Tucker, making the ‘Horns Up’ gesture of Tucker’s alma mater, the University of Texas.
Historic Dominance in Detroit
Tucker has long been considered one of the best kickers in the NFL, but Sunday may be his crowning accomplishment. His 66-yard game winner is two yards longer than the second-longest kick in NFL history, a 64-yarder by 2 in 2013.
Ironically, Prater attempted an even longer kick on Sunday, a 68-yard try that was returned 109 yards for a touchdown by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
A 68-YARD FG ATTEMPT TURNS INTO A 109-YARD RETURN TD.
MAYHEM IN JACKSONVILLE.
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Perhaps no visiting kicker has been as dominant at one stadium as Tucker has been at Ford Field. With his 66-yard field goal, Tucker became the first kicker to ever made two field goals over 60 yards, both of which came in Detroit.
In 2013, Tucker hit a 61-yard game-winner that capped off 18-17 Ravens win in which Tucker’s six field goals represented all of the team’s points on the night. That 61-yarder was the longest kick of Tucker’s career until Sunday. He also became the first kicker in NFL history to make field goals with distances of 20-30 yards, 30-40 yards, 50-60 yards, and more than 60 yards in a single game.
Put all of Tucker’s accomplishments together, and it’s difficult to see how any other kicker compares. His blend of power, accuracy and clutch is unparalleled in NFL history, and at only 31 years old, he’s got plenty of time left to set even more records before he retires.
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Ravens’ Justin Tucker, Marlon Humphrey Troll Lions After Walk-Off Win