The Green Bay Packers' 31-7 win over the Chicago Bears was about as clean as you can get on both offense and defense.
The offense tallied almost 500 yards. Jordan Love threw for 367 yards, while receivers Christian Watson and Matthew Golden combined for 266 yards and two touchdowns. The defense forced five turnovers and allowed only seven points. Everything was just like you'd hope for as a Packers fan...except the kicking.
The kicking game, a perennial thorn in the Packers' side, reared its head in a very ugly way, and it shouldn't go unnoticed.
Rookie kicker Trey Smack, who came into the game as probably one of the Packers' best stories, given how the year had gone so far, was absolutely off. Smack missed two field goals and an extra point – three missed kicks on six attempts.
Trey Smack's awful day didn't impact the game, but he needs to be better
On back-to-back drives late in the game, Smack looked particularly rough, missing field goals from 43 and 47 yards.
It was, unfortunately, very reminiscent of the NFC Wild Card Round loss to the Bears. Brandon McManus also missed two field goals and an extra point, leaving seven points off the board in a game the Packers lost by six. This time around, Smack also left seven points off the board, but it ultimately ended up not mattering, thankfully.
You could laugh off Smack's performance because of the scoreline, but it would be wise not to. Perhaps most concerning about Smack's performance this week is that, for all intents and purposes, the weather was perfect.
There was some wind, sure, but no rain at Lambeau. There were no obvious operational errors on any of the kicks. They just looked like complete misses by Smack, who pushed both field goals and looked to be pressing a bit too much. The wind didn't help, but that won't get any easier as the season goes on in Lambeau. For a kicker who has looked totally comfortable in real games, that isn't great.
The conditions won't get any easier.
Smack will have to kick more reliably in lesser weather, especially as the calendar turns to winter at Lambeau Field. He's already struggled in that regard at the Packers' practice field, and it's clearly something the rookie needs to work on as temperatures begin to drop.
Ultimately, it's important to remember Smack is still just a rookie, and there are many bright sides to look at. Smack has shown an ability to make much longer kicks, something previous Packers kickers struggled with. He also takes his job seriously, as mostly every interview with the rookie shows his dedication to the position and frustration when he has even a simple miscue, like allowing a touchback.
It's reasons like these that make it a bit easier to laugh off a game like this. However, Smack has suddenly gone from a rookie excelling on a team that needed it to a kicker who is suddenly 7-of-10 on field-goal tries and 9-of-11 on extra-point attempts.
Smack will need to lock in after a rough game, but everything about the rookie kicker points to him being able to.
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