Trey Smack's extra-point problems continued in the Packers' 27-19 win over the Panthers on Thursday night. Smack missed a PAT early, and Pro Football Talk's Charean Williams noted it in her update with Green Bay up 6-3. The Packers had stuck with Smack after his misses from 26 and 35 yards in a 20-17 loss to the Lions the week before. A Reddit highlight clip is titled "a thunderous DOINK" on the PAT. That describes the miss as hitting the uprights, but we have no description of it beyond the title.
The box score shows Smack went 3 of 4 on extra points and attempted no field goals. For the season he is 11 of 16 on field goals (68.8%): 4 of 5 from 20-29 yards and 2 of 3 from 30-39. The Packers have now kept him through two straight games with misses. The reporting we have doesn't say whether the club has addressed the kicking position beyond that.
The miss came in a game with early turnovers. A Reddit highlight shows the Packers fumbling the opening kickoff and the Panthers recovering. Carolina led briefly after that: PFT had Chuba Hubbard's score giving the Panthers a 10-6 lead, with the Panthers having run 21 plays on three possessions. The box score line shows Green Bay scored 14 in the second quarter and 7 in the third, while Carolina managed 6 in the fourth. Green Bay finished with three turnovers to Carolina's two, two of them lost fumbles.
The Packers' edge came from the offense moving the ball. They had 354 yards to Carolina's 258, 5.3 yards per play to 3.7, and converted 9 of 16 third downs while the Panthers went 5 of 18. Green Bay was 3 for 3 in the red zone. Carolina took six sacks and the Packers none. Hubbard's season defensive line is one tackle in seven games, which is a minor note for a running back.
Green Bay is 5-3 with a one-game win streak. That still leaves it fourth in the NFC North, behind a Lions team at 4-2 that has won two straight. Carolina is 3-4 and still leads the NFC South, but it has lost two in a row. The Panthers lost 43-13 to Tampa Bay on Oct. 25 before this loss.
The Packers play at New England on Nov. 8, and Smack will presumably be asked to kick again. Carolina hosts Denver the same day. Detroit, which beat Green Bay on Oct. 25, plays Minnesota on Sunday.
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