A 37-year-old kicker hitting a 57-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter of a game would usually be a tough accomplishment to top, but Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby needed only six days to do something as impressive or more.
With the Packers up 21-13 over the Carolina Panthers and under four minutes to go on Saturday night at Lambeau Field, coach Matt LaFleur called on Crosby to make a 51-yard field goal to extend his team’s lead to 11 points, and the veteran kicker hit it with room to spare.
A week earlier, Crosby made a 57-yarder indoors at Ford Field to help the Packers’ escape with a win over the Detroit Lions. This time around, Crosby had to make another long field goal in a clutch situation but the setting was much different: outdoors, during a December night game at Lambeau Field.
The kick was accurate and had plenty of distance. It wasn’t bitterly cold in Green Bay on Saturday night, but Crosby’s kick likely would have been good from at least 55 yards or more.
With two games to go, Crosby remains perfect, having made all 16 of his field goal attempts in 2020. Four of his 16 makes have been from 50 yards or longer. He hit from 52 in New Orleans, 53 in San Franciso and 57 in Detroit, all indoors or in warm climates.
Saturday’s make was from 51 inside a comfortable but cold Lambeau Field, where winds are known to swirl inside the bowl and kicking becomes increasingly difficult as the temps drop.
The successful try must give LaFleur and the Packers even more confidence that Crosby can make a big kick in a big spot in unpredictable conditions in Green Bay, especially if the Packers going to be playing at least one home game in the postseason.
Over the last two seasons, Crosby has made 37 of 39 field goal attempts and 5 of 6 attempts of at least 50 yards. He was 9-for-10 in December last year and now 3-for-3 over three December games in 2020.
