After a strong start to the 2026 season Green Bay Packers kicker Trey Smack has become an undeniable concern. Smack started the first two weeks of the season 5/5 in field goal attempts before going 6/11 and 1/3 in this last week's three-point loss to the Detroit Lions. Kicking woes aren't new to the Packers as it was Brandon McManus collapsing at the worst possible moment that eliminated the franchise from the playoffs a season ago. Now, a rookie that was supposed to be the answer moving forward has become a clear liability.
One that it would be easy to throw under the bus and blame for how Green Bay lost this past week against a division rival. Instead, veteran tight end Tucker Kraft is setting the tone for the response, defending Smack and pointing to the collective failure offering: "Football is a game about responses. But today's loss... a culmination of errors, that's what gets us beat. You make that many mistakes against a team like that, you lose."
Kraft isn't pointing out the kicking issue alone, but opting to take the approach of pointing to a collective failure. This is a fair take when you consider the penalty yardage that piled up and the consistent mistakes made offensively that kept Green Bay from taking control early on.
No question, the tight end is setting the tone for the rest of the roster here by pushing the idea of looking in the mirror. It isn't about blaming Smack, but a collective failure that demands you find ways to improve and search for how to clean up both sides of the ball when it comes to penalties and sharper play.
Packers Tight End Tucker Kraft Offers Perfect Defense of Struggling Kicker Trey Smack
This is where it is important to note that Kraft's take is exactly what it should be from a team perspective, but not the same as the mindset of fans. It is impossible not to be alarmed with how Smack has played, missing short field goals and offering a level of inconsistency that has fans wondering if there should've been another offseason answer.
Still, this doesn't take away the fact that Kraft is utilizing his position well calling for Green Bay's roster as a whole to improve. This isn't a bad take when you consider that if the Packers had played a cleaner game offensively there wouldn't have been a need for Smack to hit these field goals and determine the outcome of the game in the first place.
While there is still clear anxiety around the kicking game, this remains a talented roster more than capable of winning against the league's best teams. Kraft is sending this message and making sure the rest of the roster understands the need to look in the mirror and improve moving forward.
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