The Green Bay Packers have one of the best offenses in the NFL. Led by quarterback Jordan Love, they average 400.8 yards of total offense a game, the fourth most in the league. Their 27.0 points per game ranks eighth in the NFL as well. Despite missing two games with a sprained MCL, Love is second in the NFL with 12 touchdown passes and is the only quarterback in the league with multiple four-touchdown games.
Defensively, the Packers are a much better unit than they were last season. While they rank 18th in yards given up per game, they lead the NFL in takeaways and are ninth in points allowed. In addition to improving their number of forced turnovers this season, the Packers also improved their run defense. They currently are allowing 110.0 rushing yards per game, which is eighth-best in the league.
Indeed, both Green Bay’s offense and defense appear to be on the rise and should be among the best in the NFL when the season is all said and done. The same cannot be said, though, for their special teams.
Green Bay Packers Kicker Brayden Narveson Has Not Been an Improvement
Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Last offseason, the Packers decided to replace the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, Mason Crosby, with sixth-round draft pick Anders Carlson. That decision ended up costing Green Bay multiple games during the regular season and was a major factor in their loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL Playoffs.
As Packers fans are well aware, Carlson struggled mightily last season. He led the NFL in missed kicks and missed one in each of their postseason games. He was so inconsistent that the team brought in Greg Joseph to compete with him in training camp.
Both Carlson and Joseph were so disappointing during camp that each of them ended up being cut. Instead, the Packers decided to go into the 2024 NFL regular season with Brayden Narveson, who had been waived by the Tennessee Titans.
Unfortunately, Narveson struggled this season, missing five kicks, the most in the league. On Tuesday, it was announced that the Packers were releasing him and signing a controversial veteran kicker.
(Ironically, it was also announced that Carlson had been signed by the 49ers.)
Green Bay Packers Fans Are Not Happy with the Signing of Brandon McManus
To replace Narveson, the Packers have signed veteran kicker Brandon McManus, who has a career field goal percentage of 81.4% and an extra point percentage of 97.2%. Playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars last season, McManus made 81.1% of his field goals and 100% of his extra points.
While McManus is certainly a clear upgrade at the position, the problem is that he currently is being sued by two former Jaguars flight attendants for sexual assault during the team’s flight to London last year.
The case was originally thrown out because the plaintiffs filed the suit anonymously. However, they have since refiled the accusations with their real names attached.
The case is still pending in the courts.
While he has not been convicted, Packers fans have serious concerns about the team signing a player with such allegations hanging over his head:
As one can see, fans are not too thrilled about having a kicker accused of sexual assault on their team.
It should be noted that the NFL did investigate the allegations and did not find enough evidence to suspend him. But that in and of itself should not give Packers fans a sense of relief.
After all, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice was not suspended after dashcam footage filmed him literally leaving the scene of an accident that he caused. An accident, by the way, that resulted in multiple injuries.
The fact of the matter is that, as an American citizen, McManus is free from consequences from the court until he is proven guilty. However, the fact that the allegations have not been proven false yet is concerning and should have been a bigger factor in Green Bay’s decision to sign him than they were.
If any ordinary citizen applies for a job and has a pending case that accuses them of sexual assault on their file, the vast majority of employers will not hire them. If a parent’s teenager or adult child brings home a new significant other that has sexual assault allegations pending against them, that parent is likely not going to be very happy about it.
Yes, McManus is a huge improvement over Narveson; but the Packers pride themselves on brining in players that stay out of legal trouble (for the most part) and do not embarrass the organization.
Until his case is resolved, this signing has the potential to be a huge embarrassment for the team, regardless of how well he kicks.
