Paul Bretl | 9/17/2024
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Rookie kicker Brayden Narveson has battled ups and downs in his first two games with the Packers, but Matt LaFleur plans to stay patient as Narveson navigates the learning curve that comes with kicking the NFL.
“It’s a better question for Gutey,” said Matt LaFleur on Monday when asked how patient the team will be with Narveson. “But from my perspective I’d say pretty patient. I like his mentality, I like his talent. There’s going to be some ups and downs. Hopefully there’s more ups than downs.”
Through two games, the Packers have leaned heavily on Narveson right away—a sign of the confidence they do have in him. His eight field goal attempts are tied for the most in the NFL. While Narveson has made all three of his extra-point attempts, on field goals, he is 6-of-8, with both misses coming from 43 yards. Between the extra point and field goal attempts, Narveson was 5-for-6 against Philadelphia and 4-for-5 versus Indianapolis.
In two close games for the Packers–with one that went their way and one that did not–those misses proved to be important. Making that 43 yarder against the Eagles has the Packers down only two on that final possession, and with them having worked their way to near midfield, obviously the dynamic changes when only a field goal is needed instead of a touchdown.
Then, against the Colts, Narveson making that 43-yard attempt would have kept the game out of reach from Indianapolis, even with their late touchdown score. If that kick goes through, the Packers are up nine instead of six in those final minutes.
“I do think he’s done a pretty nice job,” added LaFleur. “He’s got to make that field goal, he knows it, we all know it. But I’m confident if he’s in that situation again he’ll hit it.”
It comes with the territory of being a kicker, but the misses are going to be what garners the attention on the outside–especially given the uncertainty that the Packers face at this position. However, not to be overlooked are the six made field goals and three extra points from Narveson, and what went into making those kicks, which also helps inspire the confident that the team has.
As a rookie who wasn’t even with the Packers during training camp or the preseason, Narveson was thrown into the fire, so to speak, making his first regular season field goal attempt in Brazil after being with the team for just over a week. There is also the process of getting comfortable on the fly with a new snapper and holder.
From the Packers’ perspective, there was certainly a leap of faith that they took with Narveson, hoping that he would be able to navigate these changes on the fly and do so when it mattered. This, of course, is no longer the preseason–every kick matters.
Giving the Packers the confidence that Narveson could handle this was his play with Tennessee in the preseason, and also, the pre-draft interview they had with him that gave the team some insight into his mental makeup and general approach as a kicker.
“We like Brayden’s makeup,” said Rich Bisaccia last week. “It’s one of the things (that appealed to us). I think Gutey talked about it and Byron Storer’s interview with him last year, some of the notes that were made after the interview were about that, about his makeup, about his personality, his self-confidence, and his ability to move on from one play to the next and I think that’s what he’s showing.”
While LaFleur may be taking the patient approach with Narveson, by GM Brian Gutekunst’s own admission, he isn’t as patient with specialists as he perhaps needs to be. In part, however, the Packers do not have the ability to be patient right now.
This is a team with Super Bowl aspirations, and in league where the margin for winning and losing is oh so small, having the wrong kicker can be the difference between having a bye in the playoffs or playing that first weekend. It can be the difference between going to the NFC Championship Game, and going home.
“I mean, guys have got to produce,” Gutekunst said after claiming Narveson off waivers. “If they don’t produce, it’s going to be a short leash. And so for me it’s really no different than it has been. We’re going to always, we’re working all year to see if there’s opportunities to make us better and if there is, and we can, we’re going to try to do that.
“We’re really excited to get Brayden in here and see what he can do. And he’s certainly got a lot of talent and we’re excited about that, but at the end of the day, like all these guys who made this team, they’ve got to produce.”
At the end of the day, the Packers need Narveson to produce but some early ups and downs were to be expected, as LaFleur mentioned. Narveson knows the opportunity that is in front of not only him but this Packers team and if he wants to be a part of the ride he will need to find added consistency each week.
That sense of urgency, however, and the need to produce is a feeling that Narveson relishes and is an environment he lived in during his college career, playing for four different schools over six seasons and having to compete every step of the way. Narveson believes that the unusual path he took to the NFL has prepared him well for these moments.
Going back to the aforementioned mental makeup of Narveson, he is unfazed by it all because he knows that he belongs in the NFL. Now, one kick at a time, he’s out to prove that to everyone else.
“At the end of the day, I look at it a little bit different now,” Narveson said. “I know how good I am, I know I belong in the league – I’m here – and one miss is not going to define me. I’m going to bounce back and try to make the next one. That’s my job. That’s what I get paid to do. At the end of the day, that’s my goal when I step on the field is focus on my process so that I can knock it through the uprights.”