Trey Smack looks like a completely different kicker when the lights come on

Trey Smack had yet another stellar game this week in the Green Bay Packers' preseason victory over the Denver Broncos. Despite a shaky start to training camp, Smack is proving that he's more than ready for the real games to begin.

During the Packers' 33-13 victory over the Broncos on Friday night, Smack once again shined. The rookie kicker was perfect on all four of his field-goal attempts, including a booming 59-yard try late in the first half.

Combined with the performance in his first game, Smack is now a perfect 7-for-7 on field goals. It's a welcome sign for Smack, and also a bit of a curious one given how he's performed outside of games.

Trey Smack has struggled in training camp, but excelled during games

Smack has been anything but perfect at Ray Nitschke Field for practice. To date, he's made 24 of 34 attempts throughout training camp, including a near-perfect night at Lambeau Field for Family Night.

Smack's struggles have mostly come from shorter-distance kicks, a common theme of his dating back to his college days as a Florida Gator. While the conditions at the Packers' Ray Nitschke practice field are notoriously difficult for kickers, it seemed like Smack was going to struggle to adapt to life in the NFL.

However, when the lights get brightest and it's time to play in an actual game, that seems to change. Smack not only hasn't really looked like he's struggled much, but doesn't look to be fazed at all.

Every kick he's made in an actual game setting has been more or less perfectly down the middle, with none of them even looking like they'd be shaky from anywhere on the field. It's hard to quantify exactly what it is, but it seems like Smack can dial in an extra notch when the games get serious, which is a useful trait for any NFL player to have, but really important for a kicker.

Since the 1990s, the Packers have enjoyed surprisingly stable and excellent production from the kicking department. From 1989 to 2022, the Packers relied mainly on three kickers – Chris Jacke, Ryan Longwell, and Mason Crosby – as their solution for field goals.

Since Crosby's departure in 2022, though, the Packers have struggled to find a kicker who can produce even slightly above-average success. During the 2026 NFL Draft, the team traded up to select Smack in the sixth round, a sign that they believed heavily in the young kicker.

Smack may have some struggles to come, but right now, he looks to be what the Packers hoped he would be, even if coach Matt LaFleur is keeping his expectations light.

"Feel great, but same thing, he's gotta go do it again," LaFleur said of Smack (via Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette). "That's life in the National Football League, you're only as good as your last performance. He's put two pretty darn good performances back-to-back."

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow