The Green Bay Packers lost to the Detroit Lions 20-17 on Sunday, and you don’t need a math degree to see who sunk the ship. Rookie kicker Trey Smack had two short field goal attempts go sideways, directly costing his team what would have been a win. In a game decided by just three points, his 26-yard miss and a blocked 35-yard attempt on the final drive were absolute gut punches.
Green Bay’s Costly Gamble on Draft Day
This isn’t just about one bad game, though this one stings. The Packers spent three, admittedly very late, draft picks to move up and select Smack with the 216th pick this spring. He was the only kicker drafted in the entire class. So far, he’s been one of the worst kickers in the entire NFL. In an era where kickers are hitting their marks more than ever, Smack is lagging far behind. The league average field goal percentage this season is a solid 84.2%, but Smack is sitting at a dismal 68.8%, having made just 11 out of 16 attempts. Sure, two of those misses were blocked, which isn’t entirely his fault, but even if those had gone through, he’d still be below the average.
A Worrying Pattern of Misses
What’s really concerning is *where* he’s missing. Smack simply can’t seem to convert field goals from distances that are practically guaranteed for most kickers. All five of his misses this season have come from 49 yards or closer. From that range, he’s a shocking 9 for 14, or 64.3%. Digging deeper, among the five kickers in the league this year who have made less than 70% of their field goals, only Smack and Harrison Mevis have multiple misses from under 49 yards. And Mevis, for what it’s worth, is already out of a job; his two misses against the Buffalo Bills in Week 5 cost the Rams the game and earned him his walking papers. Mevis even made all 14 of his PATs with the Rams. Smack is only 13 of 15 on extra points, and his miss against the Vikings in Week 1 played a big role in how that game turned out.
This isn’t a new struggle for Green Bay either. Smack is off to an even worse start than Anders Carlson, the last kicker the Packers drafted. Carlson’s misses from 43 and 45 yards cost the Packers dearly in losses to the Raiders (19-17) and Giants (24-22) in 2023. His late miss from 41 yards against the 49ers in the playoffs even changed San Francisco’s final drive from a potential game-tying effort to a game-winning one. But even with those painful memories, Carlson’s rookie stats look downright desirable compared to Smack’s current performance: Carlson finished his rookie year converting 29 of 36 field goals (80.1%) including playoffs, and he hit 83.9% of his kicks from 49 yards and in. If Smack could hit at that clip, the Packers’ season might look a whole lot different right now.
Smack still has a job for now, and 16 field goal attempts is hardly a big en, but these misses from chip-shot range are absolutely killing Green Bay’s chances to win games.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Acme Packing Company.
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