The AFC North Has The Best Foursome Of Kickers That Football Has Ever Seen
John Munson. Shutterstock Images.Whenever a kicker misses a field goal or extra point, Twitter will usually clown on them and fans will say things that aren't the nicest. But it's time that we spotlight the "good" in the kicking profession. And I'm here to tell you today that the elite tier of this group resides in the AFC North:
Justin Tucker (Ravens)
Chris Boswell (Steelers)
Evan McPherson (Bengals)
Cade York (Browns)
This foursome has the ability to do something SPECIAL over the course of their careers (and some of them have already made insane kicks and set crazy records). I said it on today's Pardon My Take, and I'll reiterate it here:
The AFC North Has The Best Foursome Of Kickers That Football Has Ever Seen
Justin Tucker - Baltimore Ravens
You can argue that Justin Tucker is ALREADY the greatest kicker in NFL history, and he has no signs of stopping any time soon. The kick above in Week 3 of the 2021 Season was pure insanity, and Tucker is a 5-time Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl XLVII Champion. He has made 91% of his FG attempts and is 99% on extra points. Watching him kick is so much fun.
Chris Boswell - Pittsburgh Steelers
Boswell is in his eighth season with the Steelers, where he has made 88% of his field goal attempts so far. Since 2015, he has missed just five kicks from 50+ yards and has been a consistent leg for one of the most storied franchises in football. He even recovered his own kickoff last season, which you can see above.
Evan McPherson - Cincinnati Bengals
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Sure, McPherson botched an extra point and missed a game-winner yesterday (while also connecting on a 59-yarder), but his rookie season was awesome. He made two game-winning kicks in last year's playoffs, which included one in the AFC Championship Game to send the Bengals to the Super Bowl. This second-year player out of Florida has proven that he can be one of the greats very early into his career.
Cade York - Cleveland Browns
He is a rookie. He is just one game into his NFL career. But based off this small sample size and his great career at LSU, Cade York has what it takes to be an elite NFL kicker in his pro career. 4-for-4 yesterday, including the 58-yarder for the win to spoil Baker Mayfield's revenge.