The Packers got just about everything they wanted in a 31-7 blowout of the Bears - except a clean day from Trey Smack.
Green Bay’s offense piled up nearly 500 yards, with Jordan Love throwing for 367 and Christian Watson and Matthew Golden teaming up for 266 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The defense did its part too, forcing five turnovers and holding Chicago to seven points. It was the kind of all-around performance that usually leaves no loose ends.
But the kicking game did.
Smack, the rookie who had become one of the nicer surprises of the season, had a rough afternoon. He missed two field goals and an extra point, finishing with three misses on six tries. Late in the game, he went back-to-back with misses from 43 and 47 yards, and those kicks stood out even more because the rest of the Packers were rolling.
The box score makes it easy to shrug off the problem, especially since Green Bay won comfortably. Still, the misses should not be brushed aside.
They were oddly familiar for Packers fans, because this looked a lot like the NFC Wild Card Round loss to the Bears, when Brandon McManus missed two field goals and an extra point. That night, seven points were left on the field in a six-point loss.
This time, Smack also left seven points out there, only the game was already out of hand.
What makes the performance harder to explain is that the setup was as friendly as it gets. There was some wind, but no rain at Lambeau, and there were no obvious operational mistakes on the kicks.
Smack simply pushed both field goals and seemed to be forcing things a little too much. The wind mattered some, but that’s not exactly comforting with winter looming in Green Bay.
And as the season goes on, the conditions at Lambeau are only going to get tougher.
That’s the part the Packers have to keep in mind. Smack will need to be steadier when the weather turns, especially since he has already had trouble with those conditions on the team’s practice field. For a rookie who had looked comfortable in real games, this was a step in the wrong direction.
Still, the full picture matters. Smack is a rookie, and there have been real positives along the way.
He has shown he can connect from much longer distances, something previous Packers kickers struggled to do. He also clearly takes the job seriously, which comes through in interviews where his frustration shows even on minor mistakes, like letting a touchback happen.
That’s why this game can be filed under “warning sign” more than panic button. But the numbers are suddenly worth watching: Smack is now 7-of-10 on field goals and 9-of-11 on extra points.
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