The Green Bay Packers season came to an unfortunate end on Saturday night. Once again, the San Francisco 49ers bested the Packers in the postseason, pulling out a 24-21 win after Green Bay entered the fourth quarter with a 21-14 lead. As is the case for most losses, there was not just one thing that was solely responsible for the disappointment.
Jordan Love, who had a stellar first season as the Packers’ starting quarterback, threw two interceptions, including an ill-advised late throw over the middle that sealed the game for the 49ers. Darnell Savage dropped what would have been a pick-six in the first quarter and Keisean Nixon dropped another would-be interception later in the game.
While all of these things have been talked about at length in the aftermath of the game, one other issue has seemed to dominate headlines and discussion: Anders’ Carlson’s missed 41-yard field goal attempt. Carlson has struggled at times this year and many fans have bemoaned the fact that the Packers chose him over Mason Crosby in the first place.
These viewpoints were magnified during the game on Saturday night when head coach Matt LaFleur was quoted as saying “I just pray” every time Carlson goes out for a kick. The quote was presented in such a way that many believed LaFleur, too, did not have any faith in his kicker.
Green Bay Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur Addresses Anders Carlson Quote
For a head coach that has defended his kicker and the process of developing him since before the season began, LaFleur’s statement seemed out of character. When asked about it during his press conference on Monday, LaFleur expressed disdain for the broadcast’s presentation of the quote and provided some clarity to his comments:
LIVE: Head Coach Matt LaFleur meets with the media on Monday. 🎙️ https://t.co/psD1N6TbRp
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) January 22, 2024
“That was extremely disappointing that that’s how that message got portrayed. I’ve been a part of production meetings ever since I became a coordinator and I’ve never had an experience like that.”
LaFleur went onto explain that the phrase “I just pray” is used in jest whenever there is a situation that one cannot control oneself. Since he cannot go out and kick the field goal, he prays that Carlson (or whoever the kicker would have been) would make it.
Will Anders Carlson Be Back with the Green Bay Packers in 2024?
There is quite the coaching carousel going on around the NFL right now. Head coaches have been fired, coordinators are getting head coaching jobs, and others are making lateral moves to new teams. High-profile names like Bill Belichick, Ben Johnson, Pete Carroll, and Ejiro Evero are floating around league circles.
One name that has not been included among these is Packers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia, who handpicked Carlson as the next kicker of the Green Bay Packers. With him presumably staying put for another year, it is not likely that Green Bay will give up on Carlson so quickly.
And this makes sense. Carlson hit 81.8% of his field goals in 2023, which is a better percentage than Mason Crosby had in any of his first four seasons in the NFL and is a smidge higher than his career percentage (81.3%).
The onus, of course, will be on Bisaccia and Carlson to improve upon his up-and-down rookie performance. Carlson missed more kicks (including extra points) than any other kicker in the NFL this season. He simply has to be better.
But there are a number of players on the Packers that need to be better and will be given the chance to be in 2024. Carlson will, and should, get the same opportunity.
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