From lineman kick returns to failed onside kick recoveries, the Packers special teams have been through the ringer.
You name it the Packers special teams probably has done it.
While the Packers have tried everything in their power to help their special teams, it seems like nothing helps.
Hiring of special teams coordinators, trying to get the best players to help, even getting starters to play special teams.
And when needed the most, in the games biggest moments, it seems like the special teams fails to deliver.
That leads to the question, are the Packers special teams really cursed?
The short answer
If you really believe in curses, then yes the Packers special teams are cursed.
But every team has their “Achilles heel”, it just turns out, its special teams for the Packers.
Look at the bigger picture.
The Packers offense and defense have had their moments.
But none of them have struggled as much as the special teams.
Dating back to 2010 , the Packers have had their bad luck on special teams.
If you are looking for a starting point of when the Packers started to struggle on special teams you can look no further than the 2010 season.
When did it start?
If you remember back in 2010, the Packers battled injuries.
To the point that they were running out of people to play on the coverage teams for kick and punt returns.
Their flaws on the coverage team were exposed then on national TV.
Against the New England Patriots, the Packers just grabbed a 17-7 lead over the Patriots.
Everything seem to be going to Packers way.
With Matt Flynn at QB, the Packers thought they had everything under control.
But then the following kickoff, the team fell back to reality.
Instead the starting left guard proceeded to break tackles and ran 71 yards, nearly scoring a touchdown.
The Packers would go on to lose the game, but on a brighter note, the Packers did win the Super Bowl that year.
Multiple Miscues in the playoffs
It takes about 3 years before the Packers special teams miscues start costing the team in the playoffs.
In 2013, Jeremy Ross muffs a punt against the 49ers in the divisional round to give back the ball to the 49ers offensive that looked unstoppable.
The game was basically a shoot out, but once that mistake happened, the game turned in the 49ers favor and the Packers defense couldn’t stop the 49ers offense.
Then the holy grail of special teams miscues happened in 2014 in the NFC championship game against the Seattle Seahawks.
A fake FG for a touchdown and a failed recovery of an onside kick, cost the Packers perhaps a trip to the Super Bowl.
The miscues lead to the Packers firing their Special Teams coordinator Shawn Slocum.
Then Special team miscues against the 49ers in 2022 and 2024 cost the Packers a trip to the NFC title game.
The End result
The end result is the Packers trying to fix the one thing that has been a knife in their back.
Since then the Packers have gone through multiple kickers, punters and coaches.
Now it is up to Cam Achord to turn around a unit that is in desperate need of a turn around.
Patience will be hard as fans are looking immediate improvement.
But with a new coach and possibly a new kicker, results may take time to develop.
But until the Packers fix their special teams, the team will need to rely on the offense and defense to possibly bring a championship back to titletown.
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Hau Khuong has been a Packers fan since 1996. He currently works as a video editor in Green Bay and writes for PackersTalk.com and you can follow him on twitter at @HauKhuongSports.
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