The Green Bay Packers are still a work in progress on special teams.
The unit is still navigating the new kickoff rules and working to minimize penalties, and the new kicker still hasn’t quite proven himself yet. But while they still might have questions at kicker, it’s clear that the team is set with at least one of their specialists.
Punter Daniel Whelan is becoming a true weapon for the Packers.
In a game featuring multiple outstanding performances, the second-year punter was one of the Packers’ best players against the Indianapolis Colts. It isn’t every day a Packer specialist is that much of a net gain for the team, but Whelan was a massive aspect of the team’s win and is quickly proving himself as one of the league’s better punters.
With Jordan Love missing Sunday’s game, the Packers needed every advantage to make life easier for backup quarterback Malik Willis and Co. The team needed complementary football from the defense and the special teams group. For once, both came through.
Thanks to a strong offensive performance from the rushing attack, Whelan didn’t have to wear his leg out too much. But every punt he had was impactful.
On three punts, he had a 46.3-yard net average with no returns. While his overall net average of 42.6 is only around league average, his precision is the difference maker.
His first punt was a 42-yarder from midfield that landed inside the 10-yard line and spun out of bounds at the eight-yard line. His second showed off power, a 59-yarder that saw the Colts start at their 16-yard line. These two drives ended with a punt and a missed 50-yard field goal attempt.
While the first two punts did their job excellently, it was the third that made Whelan one of the players of the game. At the end of the fourth quarter, the Packers’ offense was unable to get a game-ending first down and was forced to punt.
After a delay of game penalty to give Whelan more room to work with, his 38-yard punt pinned the Colts at their five-yard line with little time and no timeouts left. This forced Anthony Richardson and the Colts offense, who mostly struggled, to march the full length of the field for a chance to win. It ended with a Hail Mary attempt that was intercepted by rookie Evan Williams, sealing the game for Green Bay.
Historically, needing to rely on the defense and special teams at the end of the game hasn’t worked out well for the Packers. But thanks to Whelan’s punt and the defense’s aggression, the Packers continued their home opener win streak.
In his postgame speech, the first player Matt LaFleur gave props to was Whelan. It isn’t every day the punter gets to be the hero, but Whelan more than earned his flowers.
Complementary football is something the Packers haven’t always done well with, and it’s more vital than ever with a backup quarterback. Whelan made sure the Packers’ defense was in a good position to succeed by expertly pinning the Colts’ offense back and forcing them to start drives with unfavorable field positions. We saw Whelan, who was one of the XFL’s punters, ascend during his first NFL season.
In Year 2, the Irishman is proving to be a consistent and reliable weapon.
The team has been dedicated to finding the right group of specialists this season. The Packers famously had an open kicker battle this summer, and there was even some competition at long snapper. But the Packers never felt the need to bring in competition at punter, showing their faith in Whelan.
The Packers spent years churning through punters and releasing them before seeing them succeed elsewhere. Brian Gutekunst noted this with his own impatience with specialists, commenting on his own draft choice, punter J.K. Scott, finding success after leaving Green Bay. This time, however, they stuck with their punter and are reaping the rewards.
Of course, it’s a young NFL season. Whelan still has a lot more work ahead to prove he can be a consistent difference-maker. And we don’t know how many more games Jordan Love will miss, making complementary football even more crucial.
But the future is looking bright for the Packers’ punter. It’s not every day the punter can be considered a game’s MVP, but Whelan’s ability to assist the defense by pinning the opposing offense was a godsend, and he did his best work in the game’s most precarious drive. Green Bay might just have found a Pro Bowl-level punter.
