GREEN BAY – On a fourth down from the outer edges of field-goal range at the end of Sunday’s opening drive, Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur showed his confidence in Mason Crosby.
LaFleur didn’t hesitate to send Crosby onto the field for a 54-yard field goal. The veteran kicker, embattled in his 15th season, split the uprights to give the Packers a 3-0 lead over Minnesota.
At that point, it appeared Crosby and the Packers' field-goal operation might be turning the corner. It was Crosby’s longest made field goal of the season, and a much-needed positive with his 2021 season in a downward spiral.