Tucker vs. Butker: Baltimore and Kansas City star kickers enter AFC Championship with mutual respect
BALTIMORE -- Much of the talk heading into the AFC Championship game focuses on the two quarterbacks: Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes. They are arguably the best two quarterbacks in the NFL.
The game also features two of the game's best kickers: Justin Tucker and Harrison Butker.
Now seven seasons into his own impressive NFL journey, Butker remains a Justin Tucker admirer, as he discussed this week in Kansas City.
"Think he's kinda changed the kicking game, pushed it forward which is great so now all of us young kickers we have someone we can look to and say 'it's possible to make these 65-yard field goals and make those game-winning kicks'. It's cool to see a kicker who's kind of an artist, he dances after. He just does a lot of stuff that's very different than most other kickers. He's done an amazing job," Butker said.
I told Tucker about Butker's comments. The Ravens kicker tells me that it's meaningful to him that he's inspired younger kickers like Harrison Butker.
"Harrison is certainly one of those guys," Tucker said. "The guy works his tail off, you can tell he's incredibly talented, he's a great athlete. I'm excited to see him this weekend and have another good battle as we're all expecting."
Playoff games come with added pressure and that's when the top kickers come through. Tucker is the elder, yet it's Butker who has experienced more of that post-season pressure, kicking in three Super Bowls in the last four years and winning two of them. That's one more than Tucker - and there's a Super Bowl trip on the line when they meet on Sunday
"Every time I feel we play the Ravens, people talk about Tucker and I think the best thing for me to do is focus on my warm-up and doing the best I can to prepare myself for the game," Butker said. "Almost as a fan of Tucker and kicking I'm going to want to watch him but I learned I can't do that. I just have to focus on what I'm doing then after the game talk to him and pick his brain."
"To see Harrison doing so well, it does make me really happy for him," Tucker said. "I'm not necessarily happy for the Kansas City Chiefs but I am very happy for Harrison to see him do well."
