The Ravens’ season ended when then-rookie Tyler Loop missed what would have been a game-winning field goal. Had he made it, Baltimore would have won the AFC North in Week 18 and hosted a playoff game. But because he didn’t, they finished outside the playoff picture altogether. It’s a lot of pressure for a kicker, especially as a rookie, but he’s long past it and moving forward.
“The biggest thing I did was just acknowledge and accept it, and it took a day or two”, Loop said, via the Ravens’ website. “I’m confident in the process that I’ve developed. I’d say the biggest part of moving on was just letting the people that I care about and the people that care about me know, ‘Hey, I’m good. Nothing’s changed for me. I still feel confident in my abilities’”.
Tyler Loop on getting over how last year ended: “The biggest thing I did was acknowledge and accept it. You’ve got to be ready for next kick. I still feel confident in my abilities.” pic.twitter.com/pCvb8FcQle
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) June 10, 2026
It probably didn’t help that, shortly after Tyler Loop’s missed kick ended the Ravens’ season, Baltimore fired HC John Harbaugh after 18 seasons. Yet even owner Steve Bisciotti said that, whether he made the kick or not, it likely wouldn’t have changed out things unfolded.
The Ravens employed one of the all-time great kickers in Justin Tucker up to last season. While he was already in a decline, sexual assault allegations made it untenable for Baltimore to move forward with him. Even after they drafted Tyler Loop, Harbaugh claimed they would decide the kicking position on merit. But shortly thereafter, they parted ways with Tucker.
As for Loop, he went 30-for-34 during his rookie season with an 88.2-percent success rate. He did miss 2 out of 46 extra point attempts, as well. Of his four missed field goals, three came from 50-plus, a range at which he went 1-for-4. His other miss was his last kick of the season against the Steelers from 43 yards out that kept Baltimore home. It was his only miss from 40-49 on the year.
The Baltimore media helpfully provided a reminder that it’s not just in Pittsburgh were reporters ask absolutely ridiculous questions, though. One reporter actually asked Tyler Loop whether his marriage this offseason was a needed distraction from his missed kick. I’m sure his wife would love to know that their honeymoon was a helpful diversion.
Of course, Loop said all the right things, both in response to that and to the future. Nothing that we haven’t heard from Chris Boswell, for example. “It has to be completely flushed away next kick on the emotional side of it”, he said. I play a very factual position. You either made the kick, fact, or you missed the kick, fact. You have to be able to look at it objectively and be like, ‘This is why I missed the kick’. You learn from it, and you move on”.
Loop obviously missed a very timely kick, and he has yet to prove that he can consistently kick from range. But he had a fine rookie season on the whole, which is why the Ravens used a sixth-round pick on him. And the next time he misses a big kick, he can just file for divorce, I guess.
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