Had it not been for what many in the Green Bay Packers media world regarded as a calamitous display of officiating last Sunday in the team’s closely-fought loss to the Detroit Lions, the bulk of the team’s ire would have been directed towards kicker Trey Smack, who missed two field goals from under 40 yards in Week 7.
That performance left him with the joint-fourth worst field goal percentage of all starting kickers this season at just 68.8%.
Looking to bounce back in Week 8 against the Carolina Panthers, Smack started the game in the worst way possible; he hit the upright on an extra point after the Packers scored in the first quarter.
That is 18 points left off the board.
Matt LaFleur Issues Encouraging Message to Trey Smack In-Game
Smack becomes only the third kicker this season; along with the Panthers’ Ryan Fitzgerald and the Commanders‘ Drew Stevens, to miss at least three extra points this season.
In the wake of the miss, LaFleur issued a message to his first-year sixth round kicker on the field.
“C’mon, Let’s Go”, LaFleur said to Smack after the miss. No big speech or long diatribe, just three simple words. Smack subsequently converted both of his next extra points, leaving the team up 20-10 ahead at half time.
How Much Longer Will the Packers Give Trey Smack?
Being a rookie; and coming from a patient organization in Green Bay, it is unlikely that the team – which has struggled mightily to find themselves a reliably good kicker (minus half of an excellent year of production from Brandon McManus back in 2024) since the departure of Packers legend Mason Crosby.
Green Bay missed on 2023 sixth rounder Anders Carlson, and one year after McManus replaced Brayden Narveson mid-way through the 2024 season in 2025, the former Broncos kicker regressed enough for the team to cut him back in May, shortly after drafting Smack.
Now the 23-year old is having teething problems of his own; and whilst he is far from a lost cause for the Packers, having shown the ability to make big kicks from distance – including a 59-yarder in his NFL regular season debut against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1 – continued inconsistent performances may force LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst’s hand sooner than they would like.
Matt LaFleur Sends Short Message to Trey Smack After Another Miss