For the first time since Bart Starr was quarterback, the Green Bay Packers beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
A rough first half turned into a rout thanks to Jordan Love playing at MVP level, and the rest of the team doing its part. The 10-point victory was the best performance this team had since Week 1 and highlighted a resilient team capable of making adjustments and punching back.
Yet it didn’t need to be that close. The Packers left six first-half points on the board thanks to missed field goals by Brandon McManus in his first action after missing two games.
McManus looked ready for action in pregame warm-ups, but rushing an injured veteran in a hostile road environment was a risky call that could have been disastrous had the team played worse in the second half. While it’s not the time for a full-blown kicker inquisition, it’s fair to question the process that led to those missing six points.
Special teams was it’s usual cycle of despair in Pittsburgh, with penalties, a muffed punt return, no continuity on punt returns, and two missed field goals plaguing the team. The two missed field goals were the most egregious, and the situation could have been avoided.
Lucas Havrisik did everything a backup kicker should while McManus missed time with his quad injury. The replacement kicker made all four of his field goals and all six of his extra points, including a franchise record 61-yarder to end the second half against Arizona.
It helps that the Packers finally started protecting the kicker by playing starters on the protection team, but no one should have been concerned had Havrisik suited up against the Steelers.
But the Packers were eager to get their franchise kicker back on the field, especially after signing him to a three-year extension this offseason. McManus felt good during pre-game warmups, and it was enough for the Packers to not only clear him but to make Havrisik a healthy scratch.
However McManus felt prior to the game, it was clear the venerable kicker wasn’t completely healthy.
Matt LaFleur had the choice between a long field goal, a punt, or to try to convert a fourth-down in the first half. He elected for option No 1. The 57-yard attempt wouldn’t have been a gimmie for anyone, but it was a tough ask for a kicker coming off a major injury, and the ball fell short.
The Packers also attempted a field goal to end the first half. Rather than galvanize the team the way Havrisik’s end-of-half attempt did the previous week, the Packers walked away from a promising drive empty-handed thanks to McManus’ wide-left miss on a much more makable 44-yard attempt.
9 point swing because the injured kicker said he was healthy
— Tyler Brooke (@TylerDBrooke) October 27, 2025
Green Bay headed into the locker room down 7-16. Those six points wouldn’t have been enough to take the lead, but they would have made the deficit more manageable. Thankfully, the offense came alive, and McManus nailed his other attempts—two chip shots to extend Green Bay’s lead, plus his extra-point attempts.
Another McManus chip shot makes it 35-19 with 3:59 left. Still a two-possession game!
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) October 27, 2025
McManus has now missed four field goals on the season, including the one that led to the loss in Cleveland. His blocked-and-returned extra point made the difference in the tie with the Dallas Cowboys.
Part of those early misses was due to the lack of agency on the kick-protection team. Still, it’s not a great look after the Packers finally found a reliable franchise kicker after their struggles over the past few seasons.
On the other hand, it was the first time McManus missed two field goals in a game since 2023, when he played for the Jacksonville Jaguars. McManus is a Super Bowl-winning kicker who came up big for the Packers in back-to-back games immediately after signing last season. He has earned some benefit of the doubt.
Clearly, on Sunday night, McManus wasn’t fully healthy. Asking for his first attempt after a leg injury to be a 57-yard attempt wasn’t setting him up for success. And the Packers had another option; Havrisik is still on the roster.
The Packers could have let McManus get the start while keeping Havrisik active in case of emergency — or ant least attempt the longer kicks. If the team wants to keep two kickers on the roster, would it not be for this exact situation?
It’s not time to call for a kicker controversy yet, but the process that led to McManus being in that particular situation was flawed.
LaFleur said he would reevaluate the process that led to McManus being active.
“We’ll reassess and re-evaluate. I thought in the second he certainly went in and did exactly what we needed him to do. He felt good. He had a good warm-up. I think you got to trust a guy [with his experience],” LaFleur said after the game.
It’s just another in a series of questionable personnel calls involving special teams.
Still, playing the wrong kicker will become a minor footnote in this game’s overall legacy. This was the team’s best performance since the first two weeks of the season, and the narrative of the win over Aaron Rodgers will gloss over any special teams issues. This was a fantastic win the Packers can build from, but there is once again a special team’s lesson that needs to be learned.
I've actually gotten a few questions about whether or not they can turn to Lucas Havrisik tonight. He's a healthy scratch, so he's inactive. He's still on the 53-man roster, though, so no roster juggling necessary if they want to roll with him next week. https://t.co/xysuZXhiqC
— zach jacobson (@zacobson) October 27, 2025