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Brandon McManus takes care of the Packers' kicking situation with a game-winner

Posted on by Kennedy
Brandon McManus takes care of the Packers' kicking situation with a game-winner

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GREEN BAY – Forgive the No. 17 on his back. In a fan base where memories span decades, last season's debacle is still too fresh. It was almost a twisted joke, a Halloween precursor, as the minutes ticked by late Sunday afternoon and the inevitable came into clearer focus.

The decisive game in this young season for the Green Bay Packers ended shortly before the game clock expired. Someone alert the Boogeyman.

The 78,197 spectators in the stands at Lambeau Field couldn't be comfortable with that. You remember Anders Carlson all too well. After him, Brayden Narveson made missteps a trend.

“The kicks that must be made in the National Football League,” special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia said this week, “are within the 50 limit. Obviously we had our problems with that.”

Even those who weren't there for the Packers' disastrous collapse last season knew this team's reputation.

“I know the story,” running back Josh Jacobs said. “In big games there are big kickers. It’s mentioned a lot.”

So here was Brandon McManus, an NFL veteran but a stranger in his own locker room, carrying Carlson's ghostly 17 on his back. His fifth day on the Packers roster. His first kick for this team.

There are three seconds left in the fourth quarter. 1 point behind.

Gulp.

Jacobs couldn't look as McManus got the ball from 45 yards out. Instead, he stood facing the jumbotron, back on the field, relying on the crowd to tell him whether Sunday would end with jubilation or more despair. “I knew the crowd would tell me whether we won or not,” Jacobs said. At least those in the crowd who didn't look away, just like him.

As Jacobs heard the cheers around him, he realized it wasn't just a 24-22 win against the Houston Texans. The relief was palpable. The Packers might actually have a reliable kicker.

Finally.

Brandon McManus accepts the pressure

What was taken for granted in the days of Mason Crosby, Ryan Longwell and Chris Jacke became familiar again on Sunday afternoon. When there's a makeable kick at a key moment, the Packers have a history of finding a way to split the uprights. In contrast to his two predecessors, McManus showed on Sunday that he can fit in well.

“The average margin of victory in the NFL is three points,” McManus said. “So you have to go into every game understanding that it depends on yourself. That's why I chose this position many moons ago. I love pressure situations and was happy to have the opportunity today.”

Even though McManus' billing is far from official, the Packers know that many games in this league come down to a kick. Sunday's win improved them to 5-2, but the Packers' record would be 6-1 had Narveson not made two missed field goals against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4, which ended in a 2-point loss . No one needs to be reminded of Carlson's missed fourth-quarter shot in the NFC divisional playoff round at San Francisco last season, or the 12 shots before that.

In this context, the waning moments on Sunday were a barometer for whether this team could learn to trust the kickers again. After the Texans took a 22-21 lead with 1:44 left, the Packers gained possession at their 30-yard line. Quarterback Jordan Love completed 4 of 7 passes for 39 yards, including a 13-yard connection to Dontayvion Wicks on third-and-2 to reach field goal range. Love gave his team a chance, but as anyone who has followed the Packers lately knew, the hard part was still to come.

A practice swing, then a make, then a Lambeau jump for McManus

McManus said the wind was on his back, pointing south. He blocked a 65-yard kick before the play, so the veteran was satisfied with a 45-yard attempt. The Texans wanted to make him uncomfortable. Head coach DeMeco Ryans called a timeout to put McManus on ice, but it allowed him to take a practice swing, which he completed.

“I've always said I don't know why teams take timeouts so late,” McManus said, “to give you a practice kick. But I expected it.”

The tension on the Packers sideline eased when McManus split the uprights after the whistle. McManus said it's beneficial, but it also forces a field goal operation that requires about 100 reps over the course of the week to repeat the mechanics. This time, snapper Matt Orzech left the football about a foot short, forcing holder Daniel Whelan to shovel it off the turf.

Whelan joked that he “fainted” during the game, but he mastered the grip well enough to present the football the way McManus wanted it.

“You just catch it with your eyes,” Whelan said. “Your hand is there. So I just turned my hands around. The laces were perfect so I didn’t have to do too much there.”

McManus had to wait longer than expected for his first field goal attempt of 2024 because a civil lawsuit involving sexual assault and harassment allegations was settled just last week. Then he waited 59 minutes and 57 seconds into his first game of the season. “There were no nerves,” he said. “It's more fear.” After watching his kick stay true, McManus was swarmed from the Packers sideline. Then he thought about the perfect way to celebrate.

With his teammates chasing him, McManus made his way to the south stand. He jumped into the crowd between the two tunnels. McManus, 33, is the oldest Packers player by two years, a byproduct of joining the NFL's youngest locker room. He joked that his hops were “not good” on his first hop.

“I’ve always heard it’s bigger than people think,” McManus said. “But this is a historic, historic place. I’m really excited to be playing here and to have a chance to get a win in Game 1, I knew I had to do it.”

Maybe he'll get the chance to try again in the future after another game-winning kick. After Sunday, the Packers can begin restoring confidence that game-winning field goals will be made.

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