The Green Bay Packers are set to begin their preseason journey with Saturday evening's showdown with the New York Jets at Lambeau Field. Packers veterans and rookies alike have spent the last few weeks in training camp proving themselves in head coach Matt LaFleur & Co., with some of those players' efforts being successful while others are trending towards roster cut territory.
One Packer who impressed coaches, the media, and fans alike in recent practices has been kicker Brandon McManus. The veteran special teamer provided Green Bay with some much-needed stability during extra points and field goals, and he picked up where he left off with a flawless start to training camp.
At least, that was the case in recent weeks.
Packers K Brandon McManus' Training Camp Takes Turn for the Worse
McManus first showed signs of being human on July 31 when ESPN's Rob Demovsky reported that the veteran kicker finally missed a kick during practice. While that is horrible in a vacuum, it was concerning given that the ex-Temple Owl had previously gone 25-of-25 on his attempts up until that point.
McManus' downward trend continued a week later when he missed two kicks for the first time this offseason during Thursday's practice, per Demovsky. He missed wide on attempts from 47 and 52 yards out, meaning he's now 47-of-51 (92.2%) on his kicks so far.
Hopefully, McManus' hiccups are a brief bump in the road so that he can return to his previous form. Obviously, he likely won't kick perfectly throughout the 2025 campaign; however, he came quite close to it last year. Packers fans would be more than satisfied if he replicated his 2024 performance that saw him go 20-of-21 (95.2%) on field goals and a perfect 30-of-30 on extra-point tries.
His 86.7 field goal grade even ranked ninth-best among 43 eligible kickers on Pro Football Focus last season.
Saturday's clash with the Jets will be the perfect opportunity for McManus to turn things around. He owns an 86.7 FG% (13-of-15) and 92.9 XP% (13-of-14) in six career clashes with New York, indicating that there's no reason to doubt him this weekend.
The Packers are at their best when they can rely on their special teams without worry, and McManus can erase all doubts that have recently emerged with a strong preseason-opening performance.