Matt LaFleur Still Upset Over Previous Packers Kicker Drama

The Packers have had a long year with kicker issues but have seemingly found an answer with Brandon McManus. While he'd never outright say it, Matt LaFleur couldn't be happier about McManus' excellent season.

After early-season problems with Brayden Narveson and Anders Carlson, a new report suggests LaFleur is still frustrated with the way his quotes were protrayed in the media.

During the playoffs last season, Fox NFL sideline reporter Tom Rinaldi said LaFleur told him that he prayed before every Carlson field goal. It was a joke, yet still one that LaFleur wished wasn't shared with the public.

Matt LaFleur Still Frustrated About 2023 Kicker Report

McManus deserves the bulk of the attention. He's made 10 of his 11 field goals and all 16 extra points, a significant improvement over the inconsistency that plagued the position in the past.

"I don’t even really watch it all the time now," LaFleur said about McManus' kicks. "I just kind of move on to the next thing.”

It's all fun and games now, though last year Rinaldi suggested LaFleur made the ill-fated prayer comments in the midst of the Packers' playoff game with the 49ers. As Matt Schneidman of The Athletic writes, LaFleur wasn't happy about that.

"That was B.S., by the way," LaFleur said about the report. "That was tongue-in-cheek, a total joke and they ran with it, so I guess I gotta be careful what I say to everybody."

If LaFleur was looking to the heavens for help, he would've been justified. The Packers ranked 24th in field goal percentage in 2023 and Carlson missed five extra points. This year, Narveson made just 12 of 17 kicks before Green Bay went in another direction.

McManus has made 81.7% of his field goals in his career but is up to 90.7% so far with the Packers. If his hot streak continues, it'll solve one of the biggest problems facing this team as it looks to make a deep postseason run.

More Green Bay Packers News: