Having a clutch kicker is a luxurious that almost all NFL followers would die for. In right now’s NFL, there’s actually just one kicker that everyone trusts to get the job carried out when the sport is on the road: Baltimore’s Justin Tucker. Sure, there have been years the place guys like Adam Vinatieri, Harrison Butker, Stephen Gostkowski, Sebastian Janikowski, and David Akers might need been named in the identical firm as Tucker, however none of them evaluate to the ruthless effectivity that’s Tucker.
Although he’s by no means had an ideal season, Tucker has a profession 91.3 area purpose share (the most effective of all-time, minimal 25 makes an attempt). When the sport is on the road, Tucker is the most-trusted particular person to ice the sport. Nobody is at his degree.
Well, I’d like to nominate Raiders’ kicker Daniel Carlson. While his profession share is probably not up to par with the likes of Tucker and even Butker, Carlson has steadily improved and has formally earned himself the “clutch” denomination.
Let’s begin with the obvious case for Carlson, his 38 consecutive area objectives made. With the Raiders on bye in Week 6, Carlson may have gone virtually a complete calendar yr since his final missed area purpose. Since then, he’s answered the decision each time he’s been requested.
The NFL document for many consecutive area objectives made is 44 by Vinatieri, then with the Colts, over the 2015 and 2016 seasons. The longest streak of Tucker’s profession is simply 35, set between Dec. 13, 2015, and Dec. 4, 2016. While Tucker is presently on a streak of 28 consecutive makes, he’s nonetheless a great distance from breaking his document and even catching up to Carlson’s present streak.
Not to point out, Carlson is computerized from approach deep. Since the beginning of the 2020 season, each Carlson and Tucker have tried precisely 15 area objectives from 50-plus yards out. Carlson is 14-of-15. Tucker is 13-of-15, and only for perspective, Butker is 12-of-14 in that span.
Through 5 video games, Carlson is on tempo to lead the NFL in each area purpose makes an attempt and area objectives made for the second consecutive season. Justin Tucker has solely had one such season: 2013. Through his age-27 season, Tucker had three seasons with a area purpose share larger than 90 %. Carlson is presently on tempo to match that. However, by his age-27 season, Tucker had a profession 70 % area purpose share from 50-plus yards. Carlson presently sits at 85 %.
Tucker is much superior when it comes to additional factors. The man is hitting these at an astonishingly excessive 98.8 % for his profession, and 98.3 % for the reason that additional level received moved again in 2015. Carlson has a 94.6 % fee on additional factors. However, that’s nonetheless an unbelievable success fee by NFL requirements. It’s higher than Butker (94 %), Nick Folk (92.3 % since 2015), and Vinatieri (92.1 % between 2015 and 2019). These are among the most dependable kickers within the league and Carlson has them surpassed in each area purpose share and further level share.
Above all else although, Carlson has impressed confidence in Raiders’ followers, and that claims quite a bit contemplating the Raiders love to lose video games in devastating style. On a workforce the place something can occur, a Raiders’ area purpose appears about as sure as dying or taxes these days. As the Raiders tried to march down the sphere throughout their two-minute drill in final evening’s recreation, the few Raiders followers I used to be with felt nice about their probabilities. It wasn’t as a result of they trusted Derek Carr to transfer them downfield, however as a result of they knew that if Carlson was given the chance, he would make it. That kind of confidence with the sport on the road isn’t one thing that may be overstated.
Is Carlson pretty much as good as Tucker? I’m not prepared to make that distinction. Tucker has been kicking at an elite degree for a lot longer than Carlson has, however Carlson needs to be a part of that elite tier alongside Tucker. He’s undoubtedly the second-best kicker within the NFL proper now, and he’s clutch as hell.
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