The Green Bay Packers season ended on Saturday night after a 24-21 loss in the NFC Divisional Round Game to then San Francisco 49ers and there are many reasons why the Packers season ended but it’s hard to overlook kicker Anders Carlson’s missed field goal late in the fourth quarter.
Carlson missed a 41-yard field goal with 6:18 left in the game. The kick would have pushed Green Bay’s lead over the 49ers to 24-17.
Instead, after the miss, the 49ers drove down 69 yards to score a go-ahead touchdown to take a 24-21 lead. The Packers, needing a field goal to tie, wound up losing on a game-sealing interception from Jordan Love after just four plays.
Fox sideline reporter Tom Rinaldi reported that the Packers head coach doesn’t have much confidence in his kicker, saying: “[LaFleur] basically says, ‘Every time he goes out there, I just pray.'”
Carlson, a rookie drafted in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, has had a mediocre campaign. He went 27-for-33 in 2023, making all 20 kicks up to 39 yards but going 7-for-13 from 40 yards and beyond. He was 34-for-39 in extra points, the worst PAT rate in the NFL.
Kicker is once again an issue for the Packers.
