Once an NFL offense gets inside the 20-yard line, coming away with at least a field goal should be just about a sure thing. It wasn’t for the Packers on Sunday in Detroit.
Packers kicker Trey Smack missed a 26-yard field goal wide right, and had a 35-yard field goal blocked, in the Packers’ 20-17 loss to the Lions.
How rare is it for an NFL kicker to miss field goals that short? So far this season, NFL kickers are 167-for-170 on field goals from inside 37 yards. Smack had two of the three misses on Sunday, and the other was a 23-yarder by Bears kicker Cairo Santos that was blocked by the Vikings in Week 2.
The last time a kicker missed two field goals of 35 yards or shorter in the same game was seven years ago, when Patriots kicker Mike Nugent missed two in a game against the Browns. Nugent was cut afterward.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur says [Smack won’t get cut](https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/matt-lafleur-says-rookie-trey-smack-will-remain-packers-kicker). At least not yet. But it’s safe to say Smack’s seat is getting hot.