The Green Bay Packers’ comeback against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday fell short, resulting in their second loss.
After an embarrassing 0-28 start, Green Bay rallied in a stunning show of resilience, cutting the deficit to 31-29. However, the game exposed legitimate concerns about the Packers that they’ll need to adjust. But one concern in particular reared its head for the fourth game in a row.
Green Bay doesn’t have a kicker.
Brayden Narveson missed two makeable field goals in a game Green Bay lost by two points. The Packers have publicly preached patience for their young kicker. However, that patience isn’t paying off. Narveson has missed a kick in each game this season (though he was bailed out by a penalty in Week 3) and is anything but automatic, even in favorable conditions.
For a team with playoff ambitions, the Packers cannot afford such volatility. But after already giving up on multiple other options this summer, what choices do the Packers have left?
Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph had every chance to earn the kicking job this offseason, but neither the big-legged draft pick nor the experienced veteran showed enough to stay, leading Brian Gutekunst to pick up Narveson. Narveson had a solid preseason and had never missed an extra point — a particularly appealing trait after Carlson’s struggles there in 2023. Gutekunst made it clear that Narveson was their kicker and that the team would be patient with him in a way they haven’t been with other specialists.
However, Narveson hasn’t rewarded their belief one quarter into the season.
Through four games, Narveson is 9 for 13 on field goals, a 69.2% average (league average is 86.6%). While he’s made all four of his FGs under 30 yards and all of his extra points, he’s only 2 of 3 on attempts of 30-39 yards and 3 of 6 on attempts of 40-49 yards. He has not attempted a field goal over 50 yards.
The Packers have the fourth-worst field goal percentage despite tying with the Dallas Cowboys for most attempts this season (13). Around the league, other kickers have an 81% success rate from 40 to 49 yards. Narveson is currently the only kicker in the NFL to miss a field goal under 40 yards this season (out of 116 total). That 37-yard miss could have been the difference in a victory on Sunday.
That wasn’t lost on Narveson. “We lost by two,” he said following Sunday’s loss, “and I missed two field goals, right? I gotta own that.”
Narveson takes accountability, and his poise and approach have drawn praise. Matt LaFleur expressed confidence in the rookie kicker despite the loss. “I got a lot of confidence,” he said, “and wouldn’t blink if I had to put him out there in another situation.”
That’s consistent with the company line and similar to how the team approached uncertainty with Carlson last year. But you can only be so patient when your kicker is costing you games, and the Packers saw a similar gamble fail last season.
Teams can afford to be more patient with rookies at other positions. But a kicker stands alone, and his leg regularly decides the outcome of games. The Packers have two losses this season by a combined seven points. Narveson missed three field goals in those two games. The losses aren’t entirely his fault, but the young kicker is starting to significantly cost the team.
Worse yet, missed field goals are complete momentum killers. The Packers needed something to get on the board after getting dominated early by Minnesota. A few points on the board could have inspired a turnaround. Instead, the misses lead to further despair. Thankfully, LaFleur was able to rally the team into a much better second-half performance this time.
Can the Packers afford to continue to be patient or do they have to admit sunk cost? What’s the right approach?
The Packers were right to move on from Carlson and Joseph. Carlson is a free agent. Joseph signed with the New York Giants after Week 2 and had a perfect day against Dallas (5/5). However, he missed his lone attempt against the Browns in Week 2. Neither would be a preferred option if the Packers choose to move on from Narveson.
There aren’t a ton of surefire options out there at this point. NFL kickers don’t grow on trees (I assume), and most available free agents at this point are free agents for a reason. Still, there have to be upgrades available.
AtoZ Sports’ Wendell Ferreira made the case for former Washington Commanders kicker Riley Patterson as the ideal veteran replacement. The Jacksonville Jaguars cut Brandon McManus following a personal conduct violation this summer. However, the NFL dropped his case by the NFL, and he’s a free agent. Other experienced veterans like Cade York and Randy Bullock have their own issues. Mason Crosby is not coming back through those doors.
That leaves other young, unproven rookies or ex-UFL kickers as options. However, those are gambles just like Narveson.
Still, the Packers need to at least explore the idea of bringing in another kicker. The desire to be patient is admirable, but the Packers haven’t invested in Narveson the same way they did in Carlson, making it easier to move on.
The team could even go the fantasy football route of churning out kickers until one sticks. They can add options to the practice squad and elevate them for game day three times before needing to sign them to the active roster. If the Packers want to gamble on kicker, why not try a roulette spin?
Ideally, you’d like to see Narveson grow and reward the team’s patience with future success. But we’ve seen this movie before, and the NFL is a results-oriented business. The Packers may be sincere in their support for Narveson. However, they need to at least flirt with a backup plan. It’s clear the Packers do not have a kicker.
