The Green Bay Packers drafted Mason Crosby out of Colorado in the 6th round (193rd overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft. Crosby has spent his entire 13-year career with Green Bay as their dependable kicker. Over his tenure, the kicker has played in 208 games. He has attempted 406 field goals and made 329 of them, 58 of which were long. Therefore, the likelihood of Crosby hitting the field goal is 81%. He holds a total of “31 school records. Crosby connected on 66 of 88 field goals in total during his college career, and 30 of 34 inside 40 yards.” While playing at Colorado, Crosby honed his clutch kicking skills, making 12 of 13 fourth-quarter field goals. He was even “a perfect 10/10 in the final 8½ minutes of games.”
Some might think of the kicker as a background role, but having a successful kicker is essential. When a team consistently misses point-after attempts and field goals, their chances of winning diminish. Those missed points start to add up and make quite a difference. Teams who can depend on their kickers to hit that final field goal have a leg up on their opponents. When the opposing team knows that kicker they will face is accurate say 81% of the time, they have to game plan for that. They have to assume if the game comes down to a field goal, it’s a loss for them. During Crosby’s tenure in Green Bay, he has been in many instances where the game was riding on that last-second field goal. Mason Crosby is the Green Bay Packers’ secret weapon.
Mason Crosby Is the Green Bay Packers Secret Weapon
2017 NFC Divisional Round at the Dallas Cowboys
In the 2017 NFC Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs, the Packers faced off against the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. The Packers got off to a fast start and went into halftime with a 14-3 lead. Dallas came storming back scoring 18 points in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 31. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers drew up the perfect play to get the team in position for a game-winning field goal. As the clock ticked down to zero, Crosby kicked the ball through the uprights to send the Packers to the NFC Championship Game.
2018 Monday Night Football at the San Francisco 49ers
This Monday Night Football game at San Fransisco went into halftime with the Packers down by just four points. However, as the fourth quarter wound down, Green Bay found themselves in a 30-30 tie. Rodgers put together one of his famous one-minute drills that opposing teams dread. Zach Kruse of Packers Wire explains, “This time around, Rodgers hit Davante Adams for the game-tying score with 1:55 left and then led the Packers 81 yards in 10 plays and 67 seconds to set up Mason Crosby’s game-winning field goal with no time left.”
2019 Monday Night Football vs the Detroit Lions
This Monday Night Football meeting at Lambeau Field against the Lions was a controversial win as many calls went the Packers way. Detroit had control early as they led the Packers 13-0. Green Bay made a comeback in the late fourth quarter comeback. Young wide receiver, Allen Lazard, caught a 35-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers. Then, Crosby made the extra point for the win.
2019 season finale at the Lions
This game started out as a disaster. The Lions played a rather convincing first half, besting the Packers by a lopsided score of 21-0. Rodgers did not look like himself. The whole team was struggling. Green Bay needed this win to secure home field advantage in their NFC Divisional Round playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks. Luckily, they mounted a comeback in the second half. Also, the game winning play was yet another fabulous kick by Mason Crosby.
In many of these situations, there was a team effort. Rodgers always found a way to get the ball into field goal range. However, Crosby saved the day each time by making field goals while under pressure. Crosby has been rather consistent and dependable over the years for Green Bay. Surely, the veteran kicker will never forget his horrible display in 2018 at Ford Field when he missed five kicks in that single game. Every kicker is bound to have a dud of a game in a 13-year career, though, right? The Packers are certainly lucky to have such a reliable kicker to help seal victories. Mason Crosby is constantly proving why he is the Green Bay Packers secret weapon.
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