Brandon McManus just lived a kicker’s worst night on the biggest stage. In Chicago, with the season in his hands, the Packers veteran left seven points on the field. I watched momentum bleed out of Green Bay with each miss. A rivalry playoff game turned on the smallest details, and the scoreboard told the full story.
The Turning Points In Chicago
The wind off the lake, the tight angles at Soldier Field, the pressure of January football, none of it is new to McManus. He is a decade deep into pressure kicks. He has hit winners and raised trophies. Tonight, the ball did not cooperate. The rhythm was off. The execution lagged a beat. And the fallout was immediate.
Drives that should have ended with calm points ended with heads down and hands on hips. The Bears got life. The crowd fed on it. Every miss changed the math for Matt LaFleur, and Chicago seized the tempo. It was not about one try. It was about the chain reaction that followed.
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- Seven points left behind shifted the choices on fourth down.
- The defense faced shorter fields and a louder building.
- The Bears leaned on field position and the clock.
- The Packers chased points instead of dictating.
Playoff games hinge on a handful of snaps. Tonight, three kicks rewrote the bracket and the narrative.
A Veteran Under The Brightest Light
McManus built a career on a big leg and calm nerves. He was a Super Bowl hero with Denver. He knows what January demands. That is what makes this sting. Kicking is the loneliest job in football. You stand apart, you wait, you step into cold air and carry the weight. Most fans only remember the last swing of your leg.
In the first half, Green Bay’s offense moved the ball, but those empty trips planted doubt. In the second half, the Bears tightened coverage and dared the Packers to stay patient. Every time the unit failed to cash in, Chicago’s sideline grew louder. You could feel it from the press box, a slow turn toward a result that felt avoidable.
This is not about mechanics alone. It is confidence, rhythm, and trust. Holders and snappers live in that same tunnel. One low snap can echo for a quarter. One hesitant step can haunt a game. The Packers special teams unit, so steady for stretches this season, lost that cohesion at the worst possible moment.
What This Means For Green Bay
The season ends with a bitter lesson. Postseason football is a razor, and the edge cut Green Bay tonight. The coaching staff will dissect every rep. They will grade the operation from snap to hold to strike. They will weigh experience versus form. They will talk about weather plans, range charts, and when to chase touchdowns instead of settling.
But the core question is simple. How much trust do you carry forward in this room. McManus has earned respect over years. He has banked clutch makes. He also owns this result, and the tape will not soften it. The Packers do not have the luxury of ignoring special teams this offseason. Not after a rivalry loss that ended on the margin of a single score.
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Green Bay must match its offensive ceiling with special teams certainty. The window stays open only if the details hold.
The Culture Check
Packers fans know the weight of a kick. From title runs to heartbreaks, the ball on the tee has defined eras. Chicago knows it too. This is the language of the NFC North. Cold games. Sticky turf. Cross winds. Grit and field goals. You can talk scheme and stars all week. In January, it often comes down to a snap, a tilt of the laces, and the swing.
Inside the locker room, players will say the right things. Football is a shared result. The defense had chances. The offense missed chances. That is true. It also does not erase seven points. Postseason pressure does not negotiate. It collects debts.
The Bottom Line
Brandon McManus has seen every corner of playoff football, both the parades and the dark tunnel. Tonight in Chicago, he fell into the tunnel. Seven points left behind framed a collapse that did not have to happen. The Bears advanced, the rivalry hardened, and Green Bay heads home with a clear message. In January, special teams are not a side story. They are the spine of a contender.
The Packers now face an offseason of hard choices and honest evaluation. McManus will be part of that conversation. His career says this night is an outlier. The bracket says it was decisive. Both can be true. The league moves fast. The ball is on the ground again soon, and someone has to pick it up and split the posts. 🏈
