Packers Kicker Competition Takes Another Bleak Turn in Preseason Week 2 Loss

After opening the NFL preseason with a victory, the Green Bay Packers were left embarrassed during a 27-2 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday. The Packers couldn't generate any offense throughout the night as their lone points came from a safety in the third quarter.

Yeah, it was that type of night.

While preseason games are relatively meaningless, it would have been nice to see a stronger effort from the Packers — especially when it comes to the team's kickers. After all, Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph have left much to be desired throughout the summer, which is a trend that continued into last night's loss.

Packers News: Kicker Competition Continues to Underwhelm

The Packers only generated one field-goal attempt on Sunday night and it didn't go well. Joseph lined up for a 47-yard try near the start of the fourth quarter only to miss extremely wide to the right.

Even though the Packers were down by 18 points at that point, converting on the attempt would've turned things into a two-possession game.

Following the defeat, Packers insider Andy Herman has released the latest kicker competition totals. Joseph is now 52-of-64 (81.3%) on the summer and Carlson is 50-of-62 (80.6)% while Alex Hale — an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State — is 11-of-16 (68.8%).

No matter how you slice it, Green Bay's kicker situation is far from encouraging. It'd be one thing if just one or two names were struggling, but the fact that no one has separated themselves from the pack highlights the need for someone to step up.

The Packers selected Carlson with the 2023 draft's No. 207 pick in hopes that he could be a long-term solution to the kicker position. Instead, the ex-Auburn product only hit 81.8% of field goals and 87.2% of extra-point attempts as a rookie, forcing the Packers to sign Joseph to a one-year contract to create some competition this summer.

Here's a look at how the Packers ranked in various field-goal stats last season:

• FG attempts per game: T-15th
• FGs made per game: 21st
• FG conversion percentage: 24th
• Kicking points per game:

However, once it was clear the duo was struggling during camp, general manager Brian Gutekunst added Hale to the mix. Unfortunately, that hasn't gone well either.

Hopefully, one of the trio will step up sooner rather than later. Time is ticking as Aug. 24 marks the Packers' final preseason game (vs. Baltimore Ravens) before the 53-man roster deadline takes place just three days later. If nobody elevates their game by then, there's a chance that Green Bay's starting kicker isn't even on the roster at the moment.

The Packers head into their final preseason game while being tied for the ninth-best Super Bow LIX Odds (+1800) on FanDuel Sportsbook.

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