Packers locker room couldn't be more excited after huge addition immediately pays off

Sometimes, patience is not the best way to solve problems. The Green Bay Packers' patience with rookie kicker Brayden Narveson ran out last week, and the team decided to sign veteran Brandon McManus — despite his off-the-field controversial situation .

On the field, it has immediately paid off in a big way in the 24-22 win over the Houston Texans . McManus was responsible for a 45-yard field goal to decide the game, and he converted it twice. First, when Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans called a timeout. And then, when it was really counting. He also converted all of his three extra points.

"This is a historic, historic place," McManus said after his first game for the Packers. "Like I said, I was super excited to come play here, and to have a chance for the game-winner in game 1, I knew I had to do it."

"You can tell Brandon is a vet," quarterback Jordan Love praised. "He's been there for a while. He has a lot of confidence in his leg, in his ability. He's played a lot of ball, made a lot of big-time kicks, so that was no problem for him. I saw a lot of confidence from him. Once he made that first, I knew he was going to make that second one. That was a big-time kick for him, obviously just got here this week. So to come in and win the game for us, that's huge."

Over the past two years, the Packers have struggled to find a good kicker. Anders Carlson, Greg Joseph, Narveson, and others have come and gone. Now, it seems like the Packers have found a solution.

"We've been searching for a kicker for a long time," defensive tackle Kenny Clark said. "Hopefully, this sticks. That was huge for us."

Even though kicker is not exactly a widely valued position, it gained importance for the Packers just based on how many problems the team has had. Running back Josh Jacobs knew that coming into a tough game like this versus the Houston Texans, McManus would have to be effective.

"He was kicking before the game," Jacobs recalled. "And I remember I walked up to him because he does kickoffs and stuff, and I was just like, 'Man, be special today. It's going to be one of them days where we need you.'"

Green Bay was rolling with rookies in Carlson and Narveson both in 2023 and 2024. Those experiences are over for now, and having an older player seems to fit better into what this team needs.

"He's a vet," head coach Matt LaFleur stressed. "You can see it, the moment is not too big for him. Obviously, that was a big-time kick."

Related: How the Packers navigated a controversial situation to add a veteran and improve the roster