In the aftermath of another miss from Brayden Narveson, Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur said the team still isn’t ready to make a change.
Asked on Monday if the Packers are considering a change at kicker after six weeks, LaFleur responded: “I wouldn’t say that right now, no.”
Narveson, a rookie, missed his NFL-high fifth field goal during Sunday’s 34-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals. His 44-yard attempt went wide right. A drive later, Narveson hit from 41 yards, and he finished 2-for-3 on field goals and 4-for-4 on extra points.
Entering Monday night’s game, Narveson ranks 33rd out of 33 qualifying kickers in field goal percentage at 70.6. Greg Joseph, who the Packers released to add Narveson after final cuts, ranks 32nd at 72.7 percent.
The misses are adding up. Narveson has missed an NFL-high four kicks between 40 and 49 yards, and he’s one of only three kickers to miss between 30 and 39 yards this season (kickers are 98-for-101 on kicks between 30 and 39 in 2024).
The Packers have rookie kicker Alex Hale available as the team’s International Player Pathway player on the practice squad, and LaFleur said Hale would “potentially” be ready to kick if needed.
The Packers have preached patience at kicker. LaFleur has continually praised Narveson’s work in practice environments, and the team believes in Narveson’s combination of talent and demeanor. But patience can wear thin in a hurry, especially when margins are so thin at the NFL level.
Where is the breaking point?
“We’ll see, again, we’ll take it day by day,” LaFleur said.
The Packers host the AFC South-leading Houston Texans at Lambeau Field on Sunday. LaFleur’s team can’t afford to throwaway points in big matchups against contenders.
Narveson has missed at least one field goal in four of six games, and he had a miss in Tennessee negated by a penalty. Against the Vikings in Week 4, Narveson missed two field goals in the first half as the Packers fell behind 28-0. He also missed a field goal in Brazil in Week 1 and against the Colts in the home opener in Week 2.