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The 2025 season is formally over for the Inexperienced Bay Packers, who blew an 18-point halftime lead in a 31-27 playoff loss to the Chicago Bears on Saturday. There have been loads of explanation why the Packers misplaced and one of many largest ones was as a result of Brandon McManus had the primary postseason meltdown of his profession.
The Packers kicker price his group seven factors with two missed subject objectives and a missed further level within the four-point loss and he was undoubtedly down on himself after the sport.
“The largest disappointment of my profession,” McManus instructed reporters after the sport. “It was a humiliation of a efficiency. It is disappointing. My position on the group is to make kicks and these guys pour in 1000’s of performs over the course of the season and I go away seven factors on the board right now. Probably the most disappointing level of my profession ever.”
The truth that McManus struggled was considerably shocking, if solely as a result of he had been one of the correct playoff kickers in NFL historical past going into Saturday’s sport.
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The veteran had kicked in 5 earlier playoff video games and hit 11 of 12 subject objectives (91.7%) whereas additionally going 4 of 4 on further factors. To place that in perspective, McManus was considered one of simply 4 kickers in NFL historical past who hit a minimum of 90% of his playoff subject objectives (minimal 10 makes an attempt) and 100% of his further factors. His 91.7% accuracy price within the postseason was additionally the tenth greatest quantity for anybody with a minimum of 10 playoff subject aim makes an attempt.
After lacking only one kick in his first 5 playoff video games, he melted down in Chicago with three misses in opposition to the Bears. The primary miss by McManus got here on the ultimate play earlier than halftime. He truly hit a 55-yard subject aim, but it surely did not depend, as a result of Bears coach Ben Johnson known as a timeout. McManus then tried the kick once more and despatched it vast left. Contemplating the chilly climate and the wind, it is arduous to carry this miss in opposition to him, however issues solely bought uglier after that.
McManus’ struggles continued within the fourth quarter after the Packers scored a landing that gave Inexperienced Bay a 27-16 lead with 6:36 left to play. After the rating by Matthew Golden, McManus despatched the additional level vast left. This ended up being an enormous miss, as a result of if he would have made the kick, the Packers would have gone up 28-16 and that may have modified the sport from a strategic standpoint.
After Inexperienced Bay’s rating, the Bears responded with a fast landing on an 8-yard scoring move from Caleb Williams to Olamide Zaccheaus to trim the result in 27-22. After that rating, the Bears went for 2 (and bought it) so they might lower the lead all the way down to a subject aim at 27-24. If McManus had made his kick and the rating would have been 28-22, the Bears in all probability would have simply kicked the additional level as an alternative of going for 2.
Following Chicago’s landing, McManus bought an opportunity to redeem himself, however issues solely bought worse for him after he missed a 44-yard subject aim that may have given the Packers a 30-24 lead with 2:51 left to play within the fourth quarter.
McManus has struggled from that vary all season: He hit simply 42.9% of his kicks between 40 and 49 yards this yr, which was the bottom share within the NFL from that vary by far.
After the miss, the Bears drove down and have been in a position to get the go-ahead rating when Williams hit D.J. Moore for a 25-yard landing to offer Chicago a 31-27 lead. If McManus had made his subject aim, the Packers would have been trailing 31-30 and they’d have wanted only a subject aim on the finish of the sport to doubtlessly win.
McManus signed a three-year, $15.3 million extension with the Packers again in March, however after his three misses, it is arduous to see him returning to Inexperienced Bay.
The ugly playoff sport ends a brutal yr for McManus, who hit simply 80% of his subject aim makes an attempt, which ranked twenty eighth within the NFL for any kicker who performed in a minimum of 9 video games.
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