Justin Tucker isn’t the best kicker in the game. Neither is Brandon Aubrey, Jake Elliott or Daniel Carlson. The best kicker right now is whoever is lining up against Tennessee.
With the combination of being a lesser team while also having more ability than most teams to come up with some stops in the red zone, the Titans have been unusually friendly against kickers.
Tennessee has allowed 44 field goals, the most in NFL history, and the season isn’t even done yet.
For reasons I can’t explain (chance, I believe), opponents have also been unusually accurate at making their kicks against Tennessee. Opponents have gone 44 of 45 on field goals against this team. (I suppose the stadium’s switch from natural grass to turf has probably helped a little on the accuracy front).
| TEAMS ALLOWING AT LEAST 38 FIELD GOALS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | FG-FGA | XP-XPA | Pts |
| 2023 | Tennessee | 44-45 | 27-28 | 159 |
| 1996 | Atlanta | 42-44 | 43-43 | 169 |
| 2010 | Arizona | 40-51 | 44-45 | 164 |
| 2022 | Denver | 39-41 | 30-31 | 147 |
| 2020 | Denver | 39-42 | 41-44 | 158 |
| 2010 | Tennessee | 39-48 | 30-30 | 147 |
| 2022 | Minnesota | 38-44 | 39-39 | 153 |
| 2016 | Jacksonville | 38-41 | 36-40 | 150 |
| 2008 | Dallas | 38-44 | 33-33 | 147 |
| 1997 | Oakland | 38-43 | 37-37 | 151 |
| 1995 | Cincinnati | 38-49 | 34-34 | 148 |
Had somebody been streaming kickers against this defense, it would have made for a heck of a season – 159 points entering Sunday. Evan McPherson scored only 3 points back in Week 4 and Eddy Pineiro scored only 4, but every other kicker against this defense has made at least 2 field goals and scored at least 8.
That makes Brandon McManus a logical choice as the No. 1 kicker for Week 18. If he can score 11 points, the Titans will become the first team to allow 170 points to kickers in a season.
| KICKERS AGAINST TENNESSEE | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | XP-XPA | FG-FGA | Lg | Pts |
| Blake Grupe, N.O. | 1-1 | 3-3 | 52 | 10 |
| Cameron Dicker, LAC | 1-1 | 3-3 | 33 | 10 |
| Dustin Hopkins, Cle. | 3-3 | 2-2 | 52 | 9 |
| Evan McPherson, Cin. | 0-0 | 1-1 | 21 | 3 |
| Matt Gay, Ind. | 2-2 | 3-3 | 43 | 11 |
| Justin Tucker, Balt. | 0-1 | 6-6 | 41 | 18 |
| Younghoe Koo, Atl. | 2-2 | 3-3 | 49 | 11 |
| Chris Boswell, Pitt. | 2-2 | 2-2 | 30 | 8 |
| Chase McLaughlin, T.B. | 2-2 | 2-2 | 35 | 8 |
| Brandon McManus, Jac. | 4-4 | 2-2 | 30 | 10 |
| Eddy Pineiro, Car. | 1-1 | 1-1 | 50 | 4 |
| Matt Gay, Ind. | 1-1 | 4-4 | 46 | 13 |
| Jason Sanders, Mia. | 3-3 | 2-3 | 31 | 9 |
| Ka'imi Fairbairn, Hou. | 1-1 | 4-4 | 54 | 13 |
| Jason Myers, Sea. | 2-2 | 2-2 | 35 | 8 |
| Ka'imi Fairbairn, Hou. | 2-2 | 4-4 | 51 | 14 |
| Brandon McManus, Jac. | ?-? | ?-? | ? | ? |
—Ian Allan