For the first four weeks of the season, Green Bay Packers rookie kicker Trey Smack had been almost perfect.
However, in the 31-7 win over the Chicago Bears, he crashed back down to earth, missing two field goals and an extra point.
As the Packers prepare to face the Dallas Cowboys, Smack could be looking at a chance to quickly turn things around again.
The Packers played a nearly perfect game against the Bears last week...except for the kicking.
Without sugarcoating it, Smack played about as poorly as you could see a kicker play in an NFL game. He left seven points off the board in a game reminiscent of last year's kicker, Brandon McManus. Thankfully for Smack, the points didn't mean as much in a blowout win, but it was still an alarming game all things considered.
Smack's overall stats also look suddenly troubling following last week. He's now 7-of-10 on field goals, and 9-of-11 on extra-point attempts. While not the worst stats, they're far from the reassuring, out-of-mind play you'd hope for a kicker.
While head coach Matt LaFleur expressed confidence in him, and Smack's play before Week 5 indicated this might be a blip on the radar, it was still a bit concerning. However, Smack might get the chance to make up for it sooner rather than later.
Packers-Cowboys history suggests Trey Smack will have chances to prove himself
The Packers-Cowboys rivalry has featured a ton of huge moments and big games. In many of these games, especially recently, kicking has been a major factor. Of course, there's the 2016 playoff game that featured absolutely wild kicks from Dan Bailey and Mason Crosby, but even outside of the playoffs, kickers have played a big (and sometimes not good) part in these games.
We only need to look to last year for this to ring true. In 2025, the two teams met in Dallas in what would become one of the more chaotic games of the Packers' season. The game ended in a 40-40 tie, but featured some big moments for both kickers. On the Cowboys' side, Brandon Aubrey went a perfect 5-of-5 from extra-point range and hit a 22-yard field goal in overtime.
On the Packers' side, McManus was a perfect 2-of-2 on field goals (including a 53-yard kick to send the game to overtime and the 34-yarder that ended the game in a tie), but a special teams miscue led to the team giving up points.
After scoring a touchdown to go up 13-0 early in the second quarter, the Packers not only had their extra-point attempt blocked, but it was returned for a two-point score for Dallas. The score made the game a 13-2 contest, and had it not been for that issue, McManus' big kick at the end of the game would've likely been for the win instead of putting the game into overtime.
While that's not to say that this week's game will also feature such wild moments on special teams, it's clear that both teams are unafraid to kick the ball when given the chance. On the season, Cowboys kicker phenom Aubrey is already 9-of-12, but has several attempts of 60-plus-yard field goals. Smack also has attempts from nearly that range and has already hit kicks from 59 and 58 yards, so it's clear LaFleur trusts him to do so.
Of course, ideally, you wouldn't need any heroics in these regards for the game on Sunday. If the past entries in Packers-Cowboys lore have anything to say about it, though, the team just might, and it'll be up to Smack to show why the trust in him was well placed.
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