Having a reliable kicker is a luxury in the NFL nowadays. We’ve seen countless teams lose games because of an incompetent kicker. Packers fans have laughed at Bears and Vikings fans as their kickers have blown away their chances to become relevant again. Packers fans are spoiled by having Mason Crosby. No other team in the NFL has been able to rely on one kicker for as long as the Packers have relied on Mason Crosby.
Regular Season Performer
Credit: Getty Images
Yes, Crosby has his ups and downs, as most kickers do, but the good has far outweighed the bad. To understand this, look no further than Mason Crosby’s worst game of his career. October 7th, 2018, Mason Crosby went 1/5 on field goals and 0/1 on extra points, missing a grand total of five kicks. Since then, however, Crosby has only missed four FGs, going 57/61 (93.4%), and five XPs, going 125/130 (96%). Take that into perspective for a second. Crosby had missed 4 field goals in one game, and since then (43 games), he’s missed only four.
Mason Crosby is aging like fine wine. He had never cracked 90% in field goal percentages until 2019, and he’s now done it in two consecutive years, making 91.7% of his kicks in 2019 and 100% of his kicks in 2020.
Playoff Performer
Credit: Lombardiave.com
Crosby has been a great regular season kicker, but where he truly shines is in the playoffs. Crosby has a career field goal percentage of 91% (30/33) in the playoffs, and has never missed an extra point (69/69). Even more impressive is the fact that since the Packers won the Super Bowl, Crosby has only missed one field goal. He is 24/25 (96%) on field goals in the past 10 years.
Clutch Performer
Credit: ZUMAPRESS.com
Crosby’s most notable playoff performance came against the Dallas Cowboys in the 2017 divisional round, where he knocked in two 50+ yard field goals in back-to-back drives, winning the Packers the game. Crosby also came up clutch against the Seahawks in the 2015 NFC Championship Game. Because of the terrible ending, people forget that Crosby went 5/5 on field goals and kicked the game-tying field goal to get the game to overtime.
In conclusion…
Mason Crosby has been with the Packers since 2007. He is the second longest-tenured player on the team (Aaron Rodgers is first). Crosby has been with the team for 14 years, and he has played in every single game. Including playoffs, Crosby has played 246 games for the Green Bay Packers. Consistency and peace of mind are what Crosby brings to Packers fans. If a field goal is needed to win, I always feel confident sending Crosby out there, especially over the last few seasons.
For all these reasons and many more is why Mason Crosby is the most important Packers player.
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Louis Napolitano graduated from Quinnipiac University with a BA in Film, Television, and Media Arts. He is currently in the process of receiving a BA in Elementary Education, as well as a Masters in Special Education at Ramapo College. He was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin before moving to New Jersey. He’s a die hard Packers and Bucks fan.
