Green Bay Packers rookie kicker Trey Smack had two key misses in the 20-17 loss to the Detroit Lions during Week 7. The second of those two misconnections was extremely costly, as it came in a tied game with under four minutes left in the fourth quarter.
That miss officially counted in the box score as a block. Lions defensive end D.J. Wonnum got two finger tips on the attempt, sending it wide right from only 35 yards away.
While addressing the miss to reporters Thursday, though, Packers special teams coordinator Cam Achord didn’t cover for his rookie kicker. Achord made clear he thinks the attempt might have been going wide anyway.
At the very least, Achord saw Smack as needing to have a better kick in that situation.
“It’s tough to tell [if it was going to be good]. Just being honest,” said Achord. “You’d like it to be a little straighter there, and then you wouldn’t have any doubt about it.
“I think when you look at all the angles, it’s tough to tell where it was going to end up and where it was going to end up, you know, finish at.
“We just got to continue to push forward, hit a better ball obviously right there and then we’re not having the conversation.”
Smack finished the loss to the Lions 1-for-3 on field-goal tries. On extra-point attempts, he was 2-for-2.
Packers’ Cam Achord Addresses Trey Smack’s Late Miss vs. Lions
Smack’s miss came after the Packers defense forced a critical fourth-down stop. Green Bay’s offense started the drive at the Detroit 22-yard line.
But the possession resulted in zero points thanks to a three-and-out and then Smack’s blocked field goal.
Smack has gone 1-for-3 on field goals in two of the past three games. He also missed twice against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field on October 11.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur blamed the wind for some of Smack’s issues in that contest. But obviously, there was no wind during Week 7 at Ford Field in Detroit.
On Wednesday, Achord stressed that Smack has to improve his “contact” with the football on kicks to have more consistency.
“It’s all about just the contacts in general,” Achord said. “It’s how are we making contact with the football. What’s it like coming off the foot?
“That’s what we got to continue to work with is getting the contact backs to where it was and where it can be and which he’s shown to have.”
The Packers liked Smack’s “contact” so much they made him the first kicker off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft this past spring. Green Bay selected him at No. 216 overall in the sixth round.
Smack Aiming to Bounce Back
Smack has sometimes proven worthy of that selection. Other times, he’s really struggled.
Overall, he has made 11 of 16 field-goal attempts, which is only a 68.8% rate. He has also missed two extra-point tries out of 15 (86.7% rate).
That has to get better soon for the Packers to continue having faith in the rookie.
Smack and the Packers will look to bounce back Thursday night against the Carolina Panthers. Green Bay will host Carolina at Lambeau Field at 7:15 pm CT.
Packers ST Coach Gets Honest on Trey Smack Before Panthers Game