The Green Bay Packers and their special teams woes are eternal. The Lord of Time, Chronos, laughs at the mortal futility of trying to change the inevitable. But, credit where it's due, the maligned third phase was pretty good against the Cincinnati Bengals.
After a handful of special teams blunders cost the Packers a very real chance to start their season 4-0, Rich Bisaccia's underdogs came through on Sunday, even without their franchise kicker.
Brandon McManus might have underplayed his quad injury, which Matt LaFleur called a “major concern.” Ultimately, it was injured enough for the Packers to sit their kicker. To replace McManus, they signed former Los Angeles Rams kicker Lucas Havrisik before Sunday's game. For a special teams group already creating woe, a new kicker only created more reason for concern.
But Havrisik was flawless on Sunday, making two field goals and all three of his extra points. He hadn't played in an NFL game since 2023 but did everything he needed to, including extending the lead late in the fourth quarter from six points to nine.
How did the coaching staff make life easier for their emergency kicker? By doing something they should have been doing all season, but they only adapted after previous mistakes cost the team points. They used their veterans on the kicking team!
The Packers made a rare change for the better with their approach to special teams. The unit is far from flawless and needs a streak of consistent competency before it inspires real confidence. Still, the small change is a sign that maybe, just maybe, the Packers can learn how to field an okay special teams group.
One play does not a game make, but special teams has earned most of the blame for the loss in Cleveland and the tie against the Dallas Cowboys.
McManus's fourth-quarter field goal attempt could have sealed the win for the Packers and allowed them to escape Cleveland with a win. Instead, the Browns blocked it, got the ball back, and won with a field goal of their own. The Cowboys blocked an early extra point and returned it for two points, causing a three-point swing in a game the Packers tied.
Had those two kicks been successful, the Packers could have headed into their bye week with a perfect record.
The Packers learned their lesson, albeit a little late, and have placed more emphasis on protecting the kicker. Brant Banks is no longer on the roster. Still, he was on protection duty for the blocked extra point, while they gave Elgton Jenkins a breather on the sideline. After the return, Jenkins was a mainstay protecting the kicker and continued to do so against Cincinnati.
LaFleur said the obvious about the decision following Sunday's victory.
"Yeah, I mean, it's a point-producing play, and so it's whatever it takes," he avers. "You gotta get your best out there."
Yes, potential scoring plays are the most important. You want your best out there. It especially helped Green Bay's new kicker find success. So, why did it take so long to learn that lesson?
Acme Packing Company's Justis Mosqueda reviewed nearly 20 years' worth of special teams data and found that common special teams errors were an organizational factor rather than one attributable to the coordinator.
As a draft-and-develop team, the Packers will let young players make a name for themselves on special teams. It's a way to justify a roster spot for a player who otherwise won't play much. The problem is that these players lack experience with the volatility of special teams. Less-seasoned players make more mistakes, and special teams mistakes can massively swing a game.
More successful special teams programs will use their veterans more efficiently, including dedicating more veterans to special teams roles. Bisaccia has wanted more core special teams players and expressed a desire to play more starters on teams, but it hasn't happened much.
Most of Green Bay's special teams issues stem from the organization's roster-building philosophy and biases. Changing the coordinator again won't solve these systemic problems.
The Packers have a long way to go to address these generational problems, but their commitment to fielding the best players on kick protection is a small step in the right direction. And, after two egregious errors early in the season, the results are already apparent.
Green Bay felt good enough about Havrisik to release International Pathway Program kicker Mark McNamee from the practice squad. Whether that means McManus could miss more time or they prefer Havrisik as a developmental kicker is unclear, but if the new kicker is going to play more, putting him in the best position to succeed is crucial.
The unit still has plenty of questions and still needs to find definitive answers at returner, but improving the kick-protection group is a small step in the right direction. Hopefully, this small ripple can prompt the Packers to reconsider more of their special teams approach, but I'm not holding my breath yet.
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