The math is simple. The reality is a bit more complicated.
The Green Bay Packers lost by two points, 31-29, to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Rookie kicker Brayden Narveson clanged three points off the right upright and another three points drifted wide right.
“We lost by two and I missed two field goals, right? I’ve got to own that,” Narveson said.
Yes, and the Packers need to own the kicking debacle. After jettisoning career scoring leader Mason Crosby after he made 86.2 percent of his field-goal attempts in 2022, the Packers used a sixth-round pick in 2023 on Anders Carlson. He made 81.8 percent of his field-goal attempts in 2023.
This offseason, the Packers went through kickers like a dog goes through water on a hot day. In search of challengers to push Carlson, the Packers in January signed Jack Podlesny. In March, they signed Greg Joseph. In June, they claimed James Turner off waivers. In August, they signed Alex Hale.
Ultimately, general manager Brian Gutekunst opted to check out what was behind Door No. 6 and claimed Narveson off waivers from the Titans.
After missing two field goals vs. the Vikings, Narveson is 9-of-13. Among kickers with at least six attempts, Narveson’s 69.2 percent is better than only Miami’s Jason Sanders (4-of-6, 66.7 percent) and, of all people, Baltimore’s legendary Justin Tucker (5-of-8, 62.5 percent).
The rest of the NFC North’s kickers have missed one field goal. Joseph is 5-of-6 with a long of 52 in two games with the Giants.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence in Brayden. I do,” said coach Matt LaFleur, who isn’t in charge of personnel decisions but typically is in lockstep with Gutekunst when discussing personnel matters. “I know it’s tough. We all want the results. He’s a young guy, and a lot of times with young kickers, you go through this.”
Sometimes, yes. Not always. Narveson is one of five kickers who are rookies or first-year players who have kicked this season. The Lions’ Jake Bates is 5-for-5 on field goals entering Monday night. The Rams’ Joshua Karty, who the Packers will see next week, is 9-of-10. The Vikings’ Will Reichard, who the Packers faced on Sunday, is 6-for-6. The Jaguars’ Cam Little is 6-of-7.
Combined, they are 26-of-28. Narveson is 9-of-13.
“We always got his back,” safety Xavier McKinney said. “We know how much time and work he puts in. And we also know things happen. Nothing’s going to be perfect, nobody is going to be perfect. You know, for us, it’s not even really about that. Either way, if he miss or he make it, we always going to be with him, regardless.”
All five of Narveson’s missed field goals, including one nullified by a penalty last week, have been wide right.
“Certainly, I know he’s disappointed, but I’ve still got a lot of belief in him,” LaFleur said. “I’ve seen it in practice. I told you guys from Day 1, the day he got here, and have seen his abilities. It’s just part of it and, unfortunately, it wasn’t his day, but I’ve got a lot of confidence and won’t blink if we have to put him out there in another situation.”
It’s not as if there is an abundance of high-quality kickers hoping to be part of the team’s weekly Tuesday tryouts.
Randy Bullock: The 34-year-old has made 83.4 percent of his field-goal attempts in 11 seasons, including 83.3 percent in six games last year for the Giants before going on injured reserve and being replaced by Mason Crosby.
Riley Patterson: Patterson is the most accurate kicker based on percentages. He’s made 88.1 percent of his field-goal attempts in 39 games over three seasons with Detroit, Jacksonville, Detroit again and Cleveland. He was a woeful 2-of-5 with Washington this preseason.
Brett Maher: The 34-year-old has made 79.9 percent of his field-goal attempts. He was money in 2022 with Dallas, when he made 90.6 percent, but dipped to 73.9 percent in a pair of stints with the Rams last year.
Anders Carlson: A sixth-round pick by the Packers last year, he made 81.8 percent of his field-goal attempts and had a league-high 11 total misses.
Chad Ryland: A fourth-round pick by the Patriots last year, he made a league-worst 64.0 percent of his field-goal tries.
Matthew Wright: The 28-year-old made 87.5 percent of his field-goal tries with the Jaguars in 2021, including from 53 and 54 to beat the Dolphins in London. However, he’s played in only seven games the last two seasons and missed his only attempt last year. This preseason, he made his only field goal and missed his only extra point during his fourth stint with the Steelers.
Narveson figures he was a yard away from making both kicks on Sunday. But he did not. Who knows how the game would have played out had he made both kicks. At least they would have changed the complexion of the game.
“Absolutely it is” hard to be positive, he said. “I care. That’s the hardest part. You do this every day, seven days a week, 80 hours, whatever it is. You care.
“Yeah, it’s hard to be positive but again I go back to a family. I go back to a life. I have a very good support system around me. I’ve got to look myself in the mirror again and go back to work this week and do better.”
Here are the weekly #Packers grades from Professor @JacobWestendorf, who was not impressed by the results from Sunday's test. ⬇️https://t.co/xw6LTbGkYJ
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) September 30, 2024
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