Trey Smack’s rough afternoon against the Bears came at the wrong time, but it may not take long for the rookie kicker to get another swing at cleaning it up.
Through the first four weeks of the season, Smack had been nearly spotless for the Green Bay Packers. Then came the 31-7 win over Chicago, where he missed two field goals and an extra point and left seven points on the field in a game that was otherwise close to perfect for Green Bay.
The numbers now look a lot less comfortable. Smack is 7-of-10 on field goals and 9-of-11 on extra points, a line that doesn’t exactly inspire total confidence after last week’s stumble. It was the kind of game that stands out even in a blowout, especially for a kicker, though head coach Matt LaFleur has still shown faith in him.
That trust could matter quickly with the Dallas Cowboys up next.
Packers-Cowboys matchups have a habit of turning kickers into central characters, and recent meetings have only reinforced that. Last season’s meeting in Dallas was a 40-40 tie packed with special teams drama. Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey was perfect on his extra points, going 5-of-5, and also drilled a 22-yard field goal in overtime.
The Packers had their own big kicks in that one. Brandon McManus went 2-of-2 on field goals, including a 53-yarder that forced overtime and the 34-yarder that sent the game home as a tie.
But Green Bay also paid for a special teams breakdown after taking a 13-0 lead early in the second quarter. The extra-point attempt was blocked and returned for two points by Dallas, flipping what could have been a clean 14-0 margin into a 13-2 game.
That’s the kind of thing that can tilt a game, and it’s why Smack may not have to wait long for another chance to matter.
Aubrey has already shown he’ll let it rip this season, with 9-of-12 on field goals and multiple attempts from 60-plus yards. Smack has also been trusted from deep, with makes from 59 and 58 yards, so the Packers clearly believe he can handle pressure kicks if Sunday demands them.
Ideally, Green Bay won’t need a kicker to steal the spotlight. But if this one starts tilting into a special teams game, Smack will have a fast route to turning the Bears miss into a short memory.
In Other News...
Packers Fans Have Every Reason To Be Fed Up With This Rule
Week 6 gave Packers fans another reason to grumble about the NFLs roughing-the-passer standard, and it came on a play that looked like it should have swung momentum the other way. On a Dallas drop back, Green Bay got what appeared to be a key turnover, only for the sequence to be undone by a roughing-the-passer flag that immediately reignited the familiar argument over how the league applies the rule.
The frustration was especially sharp because it was not an isolated moment. A similar call also surfaced in the Chiefs game the same week, and both penalties erased interceptions in plays that had the feel of game-changing snaps. Green Bay still won, but the broader issue lingered afterward, since fans were left wondering why the league keeps turning potentially decisive defensive plays into discussion points instead of takeaways. [Read more 🡒]
Dak Prescott Took A Scary Hit And Green Bay Capitalized
Dak Prescott absorbed a heavy shot to the ribs at Lambeau Field, the kind of hit that briefly quiets a stadium and leaves everyone watching to see how a quarterback responds. Packers linebacker Zaire Franklin delivered the blow, and Prescott was slow to get up before staying in the game, a sign of how physical the afternoon had become in Green Bay.
Prescott later said he was winded, and the Cowboys kept him on the field as the game moved on. He did not go for x-rays after the hit, and the next snap brought an interception, with Prescott appearing affected the rest of the way as Green Bay kept pressing its advantage. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Fans Immediately Feared The Worst After Tucker Kraft Went Down
A tense first half in Dallas delivered the kind of moment Packers fans dread, when Tucker Kraft went down after taking a hit to the knee and had to make his way to the bench while limping. The injury came as Green Bay tried to keep its offense moving, and the sight of one of Jordan Loves trusted targets walking off with a leg issue immediately shifted attention away from the scoreboard.
For now, the only thing clear is that the Packers are waiting for more information once the game reaches halftime, with the severity of Krafts injury still not known. Amid that uncertainty, Love did have reason to single out Matthew Golden, whose play on offense stood out in a first half that could have used a little more calm and a lot less concern. [Read more 🡒]