Packers kicker Anders Karlsson addressed his crucial missed field goal
Anders Karlsson discusses his crucial missed field goal in the Packers’ 24-21 playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers
When the Green Bay Packers drafted Anders Karlsson in the 2023 NFL Draft to be the replacement for legendary kicker Mason Crosby, they were now placing their trust in a rookie. All hopes and prayers were on a player with a big foot, but there were also accuracy issues coming out of college.
As it turns out, head coach Matt LaFleur was praying a lot during Carlson’s kicks this season, as Fox’s Tom Rinaldi reports on the Packers’ 24-21 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night in the divisional round of the playoffs. Was told about. ,
“When we talked to coach Matt LaFleur about it, he basically said when (Carlson) goes out there I just pray,” Rinaldi said on the broadcast.
The 25-year-old Carlsen had a great start to the season – in the first five weeks he was perfect in his kicks. But soon mistakes started. One additional point here. There’s a field goal. Another missed extra point. Another missed field goal.
The biggest case came on Saturday night.
With a chance to put the Packers ahead by seven points in the fourth quarter against the top-seeded 49ers, Carlson’s 41-yard field goal missed wide left. This ultimately proved costly in a three-point defeat.
It was Carlson’s fifth consecutive game with a missed kick – field goal or extra point – and 10th in the last 12 games. For the season, Carlson missed 13 kicks, the most in the NFL. Carlson was a perfect 22 of 22 on field goals from 20 to 39 yards. But he made only 50% of his field goals (7 of 14) from 40 yards or longer.
Entering the playoffs, his field-goal percentage of 81.8% ranked 26th for all kickers and his 87.2% on extra points ranked 32nd. No kicker missed more extra points than Carlson.
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Carlson’s miss left the Packers leading 21–17 with 6:18 remaining in the game. The defense could not stop the 49ers on the next possession. Brock Purdy carried his offense down the field before All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey scored the game-winning touchdown with 1:07 remaining.
Jordan Love and the offense still had three timeouts to go down and attempt a game-tying field goal. However, Carlsen would not get a chance at redemption. Love threw his second interception of the quarter on the drive. The game is over and the season is over.
Yes, there were plenty of other culprits in this latest playoff loss for the 49ers (i.e. five in a row). Joe Barry’s unit struggled to get off the field on third downs all night (the 49ers completed 10 of 16 on critical downs). Interceptions were thrown by the defense. Love had two options in the fourth quarter. And the offense stalled early in the game, including a failed fourth down attempt at the 49ers’ 14-yard line early in the second quarter. In fact, they had three possessions in the 49ers’ red zone in the first half and came up with just six points. None of this mattered as much to many fans as Carlson’s subsequent miss.
Here’s a sample of Carlsen bearing the brunt of disappointment after a heartbreaking loss.
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