The Green Bay Packers improved to 8-8 on the season after completely dismantling the Minnesota Vikings by the score of 33-10 on New Years Eve. The win propelled the Packers into the seventh and final seed of the NFC Playoff picture. With a win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday in Week 18, Green Bay could return to the postseason in the first year of the Jordan Love Era.
The journey to this point of the season has not been an easy one. When Green Bay’s front office made the decision to move on from four-time MVP and future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers, it spelled a complete overhaul of the roster.
Popular veterans such as Marcedes Lewis, Randall Cobb, and Adrian Amos were allowed to leave in free agency. In their stead, the Packers drafted and/or signed young unproven talent. Lewis and Robert Tonyan were replaced by Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft. Cobb saw his slot wide receiver job go to Jayden Reed. Amos was let go in favor of Rudy Ford, Jonathan Owens, and rookie Anthony Johnson Jr.
Aside from Rodgers’ being traded, perhaps the most controversial decision (at least among the fan base) was to not bring back franchise all-time leading scorer Mason Crosby. Instead, the Packers opted to use a sixth round pick on Anders Carlson, who many draft experts believed would go undrafted.
The Green Bay Packers Faced a Great Deal of Criticism for Drafting Anders Carlson as Mason Crosby’s Replacement
The Packers first faced criticism for moving on from Crosby when they used a sixth round pick to take Carlson. Aside from the fact that many did not project him to be drafted at all, there are many who believe that taking a kicker in the NFL Draft is a waste of a pick.
The criticism continued as Carlson struggled with accuracy throughout training camp. Beat reporters posted details of his missed and made field goals, keeping a tally for fans who were screaming for the then-unsigned Crosby to be brought back.
Despite external pressure, head coach Matt LaFleur, special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia, and general manager Brian Gutekunst remained firm in their belief that Carlson would be a highly successful kicker in the NFL.
16 Games Into the Season, Ander Carlson Has Broken a Green Bay Packers Franchise Record
Carlson made two field goals in the Packers’ 33-10 victory over the Vikings on New Years Eve. His first made field goal marked the 16th game of the season in which Carlson recorded a made field goal. No other kicker in team history has kicked a field goal in 16 regular season games in one year. Mason Crosby and Ryan Longwell each shared the record with at least one field goal in 15 games in a season.
With an 83.9% field goal percentage this season, Carlson is already miles ahead of where Crosby was as a rookie back in 2007. In fact, Crosby did not make over 80% of his field goals in a season until his fifth year. Carlson’s 83.9% mark is actually an higher percentage than Crosby’s career field goal percentage and better than he achieved in nine of his 16 seasons in Green Bay.
Perhaps moving on from Crosby to Carlson wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
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