It’s not the fact that the Green Bay Packers lost to the San Francisco 49ers that stings, it’s how the team lost. And unfortunately, the way Green Bay lost in the Divisional Round wasn’t a bit surprising. Once again, rookie kicker Anders Carlson made a mistake, and this one was too costly to overcome.
As I said on Lombardi Sweep before the season, this kicker is going to be an issue, and when it is needed most, the issue will present itself. Of course, I’ve said other things about him prior to the season, but the nicest was that I didn’t think we would learn how to kick in the NFL.
Regardless, the struggles for Anders Carlson kicking the ball continue at the top level. Yes, he was bad in both high school and college too. He missed 10 kicks in the Packers’ final 12 games, and his final missed kick cost Green Bay a trip to the NFC Championship. Rightfully so, Packers fans reacted on Twitter.