The Green Bay Packers may be starting to find their mojo after a rocky start to the 2024 NFL season, and with a 4-2 record they will face a stiff test when they host the Houston Texans at Lambeau Field in Week 7.
Quarterback Jordan Love is coming off his best performance of the season against the Arizona Cardinals, and wide receiver Jayden Reed is among the NFL leaders in receiving yards.
But the Packers have had trouble making field goals.
Brayden Narveson is just 12-for-17 on field goal attempts this season, and Packers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia referenced that inaccuracy when he was asked why the team has added kicker Brandon McManus.
“The kicks that have to be made in the National Football League are inside the 50. We’ve had some difficulties with that,” Bisaccia said, via Ryan Wood of USA Today Network.
Rich Bisaccia on Brandon McManus: “Did you look up his percentage 50 and in?”
It’s 90% for career.
“Yeah,” Bisaccia said, “it’s pretty good.”
Bisaccia: “The kicks that have to be made in the National Football League are inside the 50. We’ve had some difficulties with that.”
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) October 17, 2024
McManus, who recently resolved a sexual assault lawsuit against him, hasn’t played this season.
Last season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he converted 25 of 27 attempts from less than 50 yards, as well as all 35 of his extra point tries.
For his career, he has an 81.4 percent accuracy on all of his field goal attempts, with a 90.8 percent success rate on those of less than 50 yards.
Prior to the 2023 season, Mason Crosby had been the Packers’ kicker dating to the 2007 season, and he had been very reliable all the way back to Brett Favre’s final season as their starting quarterback.
Anders Carlson was Green Bay’s kicker last season, and although he made 81.8 percent of his field goal attempts, he made just half of his eight tries from 40-49 yards.