Ask any Green Bay Packers fan if they have a kicking problem these days and you’d probably get a resounding yes. But if you ask Matt LaFleur, he’d tell you there isn’t a problem at all.
The Packers have had a crisis at kicker as Brandon McManus has not lived up to the standard he established last season. Many fans want the team to turn to Lucas Havrisik, but special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia crushed those wishes by telling reporters that McManus would start at kicker when they battle the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 10.
To make matters worse, LaFleur doubled down on McManus when talking to reporters on Saturday morning, not only claiming that McManus will be the kicker on Monday night, but telling reporters,including ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, that there was no competition after saying that Havrisik and McManus would compete in practice earlier in the week.
“I think you look at the total body of work,” LaFleur said when asked about his decision to go with McManus at kicker. “I think you guys probably read into what I said a little bit too much, in terms of…this is the way we’re always going to approach it. Every spot is a competition.”
Packers’ Kicking Controversy Intensifies as LaFleur Sticks with Struggling Brandon McManus
LaFleur’s comments aren’t necessarily a 180 from earlier in the week, but they are certainly a change of events. During Thursday’s press conference, LaFleur wouldn’t commit to McManus as his starter and stated that both kickers would compete in practice for the job.
“Every time it’s a competitive situation,” LaFleur said via Weston Hodkiewicz of Packers.com. “We’re gonna have both guys kick today and see where Brandon is at. …We’ll go with who gives us the best opportunity to compete and win.”
If LaFleur is going off a total body of work, McManus should be the clear winner. A 12-year veteran, McManus has converted 81.6% of his field goals during his career and knocked down 20-of-21 (95.2%) of his field goals and all 30 extra points after joining the Packers for 11 games during the 2024 season.
Havrisik’s resume isn’t as decorated as he’s made 79.2% of his kicks over two seasons, including a 15-for-20 performance with the Los Angeles Rams in 2023. But while fans know each kicker’s previous performance, it’s not the reason why Packers fans want a change.
The current performance has fans sweating out every attempt as McManus has made just 11-of-16 (68.8%) of field goals this season. A quad injury has also been an issue, which saw the veteran make 1-of-4 field goals beyond 40 yards, since his return against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 8.
By comparison, Havrisik has been better, making all four of his field goals, including a franchise record 61-yarder in the two games that McManus missed. With fans dreaming of a deep playoff berth, they could see a missed field goal foiling their season, although LaFleur is too busy clinging to the past to understand it.
Perhaps Havrisik failed any competition miserably, leading to an immediate endorsement of McManus as the starter. Even if that’s the case, the Packers are keeping both kickers on the active roster, a rare move for most teams in the NFL.
Even if LaFleur wants to clarify the kicking competition as a misunderstanding and status quo, anyone can see there’s a problem brewing. Instead of sweeping it under the rug, LaFleur needs to find a solution, and it could play itself out over the coming weeks.