The Green Bay Packers have struggled on special teams this season. But there has been one player on special teams who has been by far the best part of a shaky unit. Players at this position rarely make headlines, but the play of this Packers special teams ace has been Pro Bowl worthy through the first seven games of the season.
This Packers Player Has Quietly Been the Best Part of Special Teams: The Struggles of the Unit, Kicking
Thus far, the Packers special teams units, helmed by Rich Bisaccia, have struggled. The team just released kicker Brayden Narveson last week after he had the lowest field goal percentage of any qualified kicker in the league. The Packers had gone through half a dozen kickers between OTAs and training camp before settling on Narveson before Week 1.
Narveson was replaced by Brandon McManus who got off to a good start in Week 7 when he kicked a 45-yard field goal on the game’s final play to win the game.
The kick was good despite a bad snap by long snapper Matt Orzech who one-hopped the ball to the holder. Orzech was released on Monday although he is likely to be re-signed later this week after Jonathan Ford is re-signed to the practice squad. Orzech’s long snapping was inconsistent last season, and he has struggled again at times in 2024.
Punt Return Issues
The punt return group has also struggled. Against the Texans, Keisean Nixon failed to field a punt and the ball caromed off Corey Ballentine before being recovered by Houston. This gave the Texans the ball at the Packers 11-yard line.
Another punt return was fielded by Jayden Reed inside the Packers five. As a result, the Packers started with terrible field position instead of getting a touchback.
The punt return units cost the Packers field position and points in this game. The Texans cashed in on the muffed punt to score their first touchdown of the game that gave them a 10-7 lead.
This Packers Player Has Quietly Been the Best Part of Special Teams: Coverage Issues
The Packers also struggled covering kick returns against the Texans. Dameon Pierce returned one kickoff for 42 yards. On that play, the Packers coverage team fail to make several tackles that could have prevented the long return.
The long return set up a 52-yard field goal by Houston that made the score 14-13 Green Bay in the second quarter.
The Difference Maker on Special Teams
Despite these difficulties, there is one special teams player for the Packers who has been playing at a high level this season and that is punter Daniel Whelan.
Whelan has punted 24 times in the first seven games of the 2024 season and is averaging 48.0 yards per punt. His net average is 43.9.
The former Cal-Davis star helped the Packers escape from poor field position against the Texans. Twice he flipped the field which made a big difference in a close game. In the third quarter, he made a 62-yard punt that got the ball from the Packers 13 to the Texans 25.
In the fourth quarter, he made a 66-yard punt that prevented the Texans from getting the ball with a short field. Instead, they started at their own 32 despite an 11-yard return.
Whelan was also the holder on the winning field goal that got the ball down in the right place despite the poor snap by Orzech that bounced before it reached him.
“Not only is he a fantastic punter, but he’s a hell of a holder as well,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters. “I can’t say enough great things about him. He definitely had a huge impact in the game today. When you average, what was it, 56.8 yards per punt? That’s pretty damn good.”
This Packers Player Has Quietly Been the Best Part of Special Teams: Looking Ahead
Whelan has been a key component to the Packers success, and he’s made a difference in several games already this year. He will face the challenge of cold and windy weather in Green Bay later in the season. He faced them last year and still managed to play well.
The Packers will need Whelan to continue to play well in the second half of the season if they hope to contend this season. Meanwhile, Bisaccia needs to clean up the rest of the team’s struggling special teams unit.
Follow Gil Martin on Twitter @GilPackers
Click here for more great Packers coverage