After some inconsistencies during the summer, Green Bay Packers kicker Trey Smack started his rookie campaign with a hot start. In Week 5, though, Smack encountered his first significant adversity during the regular season.
Smack missed two field goals and an extra point against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Fortunately for the rookie, the Packers routed the Bears 31-7, which made the inaccuracy a non-factor.
It also allowed Packers head coach Matt LaFleur to minimize the misses, which he did Monday while speaking to reporters.
“I think you just continue with your process. You get back to work, and I think one of the things I think is he was trying to overcompensate for the wind,” LaFleur said on Smack’s Week 5 inaccuracy. “That’s just one of those things I think he’s going to have to learn going through.
The Packers head coach then stressed how much he still believes in his rookie kicker.
“It doesn’t shake my confidence in him. I’ve seen him too much. I’ve watched him go out there and hit these almost 60-yard field goals,” LaFleur added. “We have a ton of confidence in him, and I think he is built the right way in terms of his mindset.
“I think you’ll see a guy that’s pretty determined. I don’t think he will be shaken up by that at all.”
Through his first five games, Smack is 7-for-10 on field goal attempts. All of his misses have been in the 40-yard range (40-49 yards).
Smack is also 9-for-11 on extra-point tries through five games.
Matt LaFleur Expresses Confidence in Trey Smack After Week 5 Struggles
NFL teams want their kickers to have a much higher success rate than 70%. That’s rather low for the modern era.
But five games is still a small sample for Smack. He also had a particularly tough day in Week 5, which is hurting his percentages in the small sample.
Before Sunday, Smack was 6-for-7 on field goals this season. And on Sunday, LaFleur confirmed the kicker was having difficulty kicking in the Wisconsin wind.
A Maryland native, Smack kicked in college at Florida.
Furthermore, none of his misses have come in crucial moments, so the Packers are able to continue to be patient with their rookie kicker.
On Monday, LaFleur received a follow-up question on whether Smack needs to kick more often at Lambeau Field during the week for additional repetitions. The Packers head coach said Smack kicks at practice twice during the week, one of which is on the field at Lambeau.
In his college career, Smack posted an 82.8% field goal percentage over four seasons from 2022-25. He also made 99% of his extra points.
The Packers selected the Florida kicker at No. 216 overall in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Smack replaced Brandon McManus, who had 12 years of NFL experience but missed three kicks in the wild card for the Packers last January.
Packers’ Matt LaFleur Reacts to Trey Smack Misses vs. Bears