Heading into Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals, one of the more interesting storylines for the Green Bay Packers was their kicker situation. Veteran Brandon McManus unexpectedly showed up on the injury report on Wednesday with a quadriceps injury, which head coach Matt LeFlaur called a major concern before practice the next day.
However, McManus downplayed that claim after practice, saying," that he planned to play on Sunday". McManus indeed did not play against the Bengals. According to Ellie French of Fox 11, after the game, LeFlaur had this to say about the decision, " He could have kicked, but sometimes you have to protect players from themselves."
Matt LeFlaur Explains Why Brandon McManus Was Inactive On Sunday
LeFlaur's comments may not be what some fans want to hear, but he is absolutely correct. Most NFL players play through injuries every week, some more serious than others. That said, in McManus's case, playing him Sunday could have been more detrimental to his health than positive for the team.
The 34-year-old's quad injury made playing him risky. Although many kickers play into their 30s and some into their 40s, dealing with injuries gets tougher the older they get. McManus playing through his quad injury could have cost Green Bay in the end.
Thus, it was smart for the Packers to rest him and sign Lucas Havrisik. Before Sunday, Havrisik had never kicked in an NFL regular-season game. Luckily, the 26-year-old made a great first impression. Havrisik made all of his field goals (2/2) and all of his extra points (3/3).
His ability to make these kicks was crucial on Sunday. Many Packers fans expected the Bengals to be an easy win, but it was far from it. Green Bay's offense was unable to consistently take advantage of Cincinnati's less-than-stellar defense. As a result, the Packers needed Havrisik to hit all of his kicks because if he didn't, the Bengals would have had a chance to upset Green Bay.
Nonetheless, resting McManus was the right thing to do. With the Packers having Super Bowl aspirations, they will need the veteran kicker in the playoffs. Risking playing him in a regular-season game with a quad injury would have been a bad decision. Even still, Packers fans are hoping this injury isn't long-term and the veteran can return next week against the Arizona Cardinals.