One week ago, Brandon McManus was without a team but that didn’t stop him from preparing himself.
Instead of kicking in front of a crowd, McManus was kicking in front of his kids.
But on Sunday, McManus was kicking in front of 70,000+ fans, eagerly wanting an answer at kicker.
The Pressure of being a kicker
His first field goal as a Packer was one that had a lot on the line.
The game seemed destined to come down to a last-play kick by one of the teams.
With the Texans scoring the previous drive to make the score 22-21, The Packers had over a minute to make a comeback.
Jordan Love and company were able to drive down the field into field goal range.
With one sweep of the leg, McManus was able to give the Packers fans an answer to their question.
From 45 yards out, McManus made the field goal and was able to send the Texans packing with their 2nd loss.
Even with the Texans calling time out before the game winning kick, McManus was cool and calm.
McManus said after the game “You’ve got to go into each game understanding it might come down to you,”
He added “That’s why I chose this position many moons ago. I love the pressure situations. I was happy to have the opportunity today.”
McManus celebrated in the arm of his new teams fans, leaping into the stands.
Is McManus the answer to the kicking woes
The short answer is yes.
In Brandon McManus the Packers have a veteran kicker who is reliable.
McManus has kicked in big time moments including the playoffs and even a Super Bowl.
Sunday, was further proof of that for McManus.
Furthermore the kick Sunday made McManus the first Packer since Mason Crosby to make a game winning kick in his debut.
If McManus can keep being reliable, the Packers might have found their missing piece of a puzzle that they’ve been looking for.
