Posted on October 22, 2018, by Travis Pulver
There are certain things that fans have been able to count on in the NFL in recent years. If there is time on the clock, then Drew Brees can lead the New Orleans Saints to another touchdown. If there is a kick that needs kicking—especially an extra point – Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker is your man.
Sunday against the Ravens, Brees proved once again that he is one of the best in the business. But late in the game, Ravens kicker Justin Tucker had a chance to do the same. Surprisingly, he failed.
Via @NFLonFOX
Heading into the fourth quarter, it appeared as if the Ravens had the game well in hand. The score was only 17-7, but the Ravens had been able to keep the Saints offense in check for most of the game. But Brees was not about to lay down and let the Ravens win scoring 17-fourth-quarter points to take a 24-17 lead with two minutes to play.
Sign up for a FREE Consultation to start working with Legendary Sports Bettor Jon Price
It looked like Brees was finally going to record a win over the Baltimore Ravens, his first. But then Joe Flacco got to work. It only took a handful of plays to get the offense in a position to potentially tie the game. With 24 seconds on the clock, it appeared Flacco succeeded in doing just that with a 14-yard touchdown toss to John Brown.
All they had to do to send the game to overtime was kick the extra point. With the most accurate kicker in the NFL history on the roster, no problem! Tucker had yet to miss an extra point attempt during his NFL career, 233 attempts.
But then he did.
“I can’t tell you exactly what happened,” Tucker said after the game, “but at the end of the day I feel like I cost us the game.”
Brees talked a little about getting his first win over the Ravens after the game:
“You only get to play these guys once every four years. So, not to put pressure on it — every time we play these guys, it’s been a battle.”
He now joins a very elite club as one of three quarterbacks to have beaten all 32 teams (Peyton Manning and Brett Favre being the others). His touchdown pass to Benjamin Watson in the second quarter made him the fourth QB with 500+ career touchdown passes (Manning, Favre, and Tom Brady).
“It’s [500 touchdown passes] a significant milestone,” Brees said after the game. “But if you just focus on winning football games and just keep it very focused, then I think those things just tend to happen.
The win improved the Saints record to 5-1 on the season. But they have another tough on up next with a trip to Minnesota to take on the Vikings on Sunday Night Football.
Baltimore’s record falls to 4-3 on the season. The Ravens have a tough one on deck as well. They will be visiting Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers in Week Eight.