Dome or Cold, Clutch Crosby Delivers

There’s not too many kickers the Packers would prefer lining up for a clutch kick in the cold of December and January than the No. 20 scorer in NFL history.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Mason Crosby is one of two kickers to be perfect on field-goal attempts this season.

Also, Crosby didn’t even crack the top 10 in fan voting for the Pro Bowl. At least four other NFC kickers were ahead of the venerable Green Bay Packers standout.

Regardless, there’s not too many kickers the Packers would prefer lining up for a clutch kick in the cold of December and January than the 14-year pro.

“A lot of confidence. He’s been Mr. Consistent since the day we arrived here,” coach Matt LaFleur said on Sunday, a day after Crosby’s 51-yard field provided critical insurance points in a 24-16 victory over the Carolina Panthers. “He’s been so reliable. What a great leader. What a great guy in the locker room. Really helps out those other two specialists, Hunter (Bradley) and JK (Scott). He’s just Steady Eddy, Mr. Consistent.”

Last week at Detroit, Crosby blasted a 57-yard field goal in the great indoors of Ford Field to tack on three key points in a victory over the Lions. On Saturday night, he nailed another long kick in the great outdoors of Lambeau Field.

Which kick had the higher degree of difficulty?

“I was actually thinking that toward the end of the game,” Crosby said on Saturday night. “Those were similar, equivalent for difficulty.”

Based on Crosby’s pregame routine, it looked like a borderline kick. He had just enough leg to get it there and his kicks were flirting with the right upright. When it mattered, though, Crosby did what he’s done so many times in his prolific career.

“I would say probably didn’t have my best set going that direction in pregame but that’s what it is,” Crosby said. “The hardest thing, I think, about my job sometimes is a game like this where I didn’t kick the whole third quarter and three-quarters of the fourth, then you’ve got to go out there and hit that kick. That’s part of the gig. Whenever my number’s called, I’ve got to go out there and execute.”

With 1,673 points, Crosby ranks 20th in NFL history. There’s a chance he’ll pass Ryan Longwell (1,687 points) for No. 19 on the all-time list this season. By the end of next season, he should be inside the top 15.

Crosby was headed to free agency this past offseason before the Packers signed him to a three-year, $12.9 million contract. His $4.3 million average ranks fifth among kickers. It’s been a win-win contract for the team, which stuck with Crosby through a miserable 2012 season and a brutal day at Detroit in 2018, as well as the kicker.

“So thankful I was able to continue my career here, just because of that community and that team we’ve kind of built here in Green Bay,” he said of wife Molly and his family. “It’s so special to us, and I couldn’t have asked to have a better place to have my career and the wonderful people who are in our lives.”

The Packers couldn’t have asked for a better kicker – especially the past couple seasons. After making a career-high 91.7 percent of his field goals last season, he’s 100 percent this season.

With Green Bay headed to the playoffs, every kick will be critical and his experience inside Lambeau Field can’t be overstated. The NFC is wide open, with Green Bay (11-3), New Orleans (10-4), Seattle (10-4), Los Angeles (9-5) and Tampa Bay (9-5) looking like legit contenders. Any kick could be the difference between advancing and elimination.

“For us to accomplish the goals that we have in front of us, he needs to continue to do that and got all the confidence in the world that he will,” LaFleur said.