John Harbaugh heaps effusive praise on Justin Tucker after game-winning FG

Justin Tucker showed once again Monday night that he exists in his own tier among NFL kickers, nailing a 55-yard field goal to give the Baltimore Ravens a 45-42 lead over the Cleveland Browns with just two seconds left in the game. Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh was unambiguous in his praise of his longtime kicker after the 47-42 win (thanks to a safety on the final play), saying that Tucker is the only kicker he would trust to make that kick.

"That was a really tough kick, because the field was really soft," Harbaugh said. "Obviously, they were rushing everything they had, so the guys that protected Sam [Koch] and Morgan [Cox] did a great job. But to make that kick, with the crosswind on that field in December in the open end, in the 'Dawg Pound' end, [for] most kickers, that's unmakeable. The only kicker that I know of that you'd feel confident in making that would be Justin Tucker."

Tucker's reliable leg didn't just win the game for the Ravens — it kept the team's playoff hopes alive during a season that has been much bumpier than many had expected. Had Baltimore lost the game and dropped to 7-6, it would have fallen below the Miami Dolphins and would have found itself in a very tough position to return to the postseason with just three games left. 

Thanks to Tucker, the Ravens now hold on to the seventh and final playoff spot in the AFC. As long as they can hold off the Dolphins and Raiders, they can look forward to heading to the postseason for the third straight year.