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Less than a year ago, I told everyone they needed to relax when it came to then-rookie K Anders Carlson’s struggles. He’d had a bumpy preseason for the Green Bay Packers, frequently missing kicks we were used to seeing former K Mason Crosby nail with perfection. GM Brian Gutekunst told us patience would be needed, and boy, was it. Carlson finished the regular season making 81.8% of his FG attempts (27 of 33), and 87.2% of his XP attempts (34 of 39). Thanks to Green Bay’s incredible performance against the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs, he saw seven XP attempts, of which he made six. Against the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round, Carlson made two FGs, but missed one. The Packers went on to lose by three points. Ouch.
As Carlson heads into his second year as a pro, his job with Green Bay doesn’t seem 100% safe. The Packers have brought in former division rival Greg Joseph to compete with Carlson during camp, and have worked out several kickers in recent days. The position as a whole seems to be a sore spot for the team. Both Carlson and Joseph have struggled, though Joseph seems to be slightly more accurate thus far according to Pack-A-Day’s Andy Herman.
Both kickers getting extra reps straight into the wind after the disappointing practice.
— Jon Delray- Lombardi Time Brews-A Packers Podcast (@ltbpackerspod) August 6, 2024
Looks like both misjudged the wind during practice, because neither is having any difficulty with the distance now. pic.twitter.com/V0ynG0A9t4
So, what do the Packers do? The kickers have just a few short weeks to make their final case to be the team’s guy, and neither of them is making a compelling argument. Simply put, however, I think the job is Carlson’s to lose. The Packers used a sixth-round pick on him in 2023, and we know how much Brian Gutekunst likes his draft picks. I really don’t think there’s any more to it than that.
As we’ve seen in the past, games have been decided by plays as small as extra points, and they will continue to be. While I think the team ultimately decides to roll with Anders Carlson for another season, he needs to make a big leap this year. The Packers are expected to be one of the top competitors in the NFC this season, and they can’t risk losing as many close games as they did in 2023. Every point counts, and the kicker needs to be at the top of their game, period.
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