Head coach Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams decided to highlight kicker Lucas Havrisik’s makeup following a successful Week 14 performance that might have saved his job.
Kickers are one of the positions in football that involves more mental skill than any other. Kickers tend to miss the mark because of the pressure of playing during the biggest moments of the game and the dependence on numerous uncontrollable factors. Confidence is crucial when even the smallest deviation can mean the difference between splitting the uprights or a disastrous failure.
The Los Angeles Rams encountered difficulties this season with special teams. After Tanner Brown and Christopher Dunn were brought in during the offseason, the position remained unfilled for the most part. Both were left off the Week 1 roster. They went to the seasoned Brett Maher, who was in Los Angeles for less than two months.
They have since depended on the youthful kicker Lucas Havrisik. In his first three games, he had made four of his five field goals. But in Week 12, he struggled and failed to convert an extra point and a field goal. He would miss another field goal the following week, raising concerns about his employment.
Longtime kicker Mason Crosby of the Green Bay Packers was added to the practice squad by the Rams prior to Week 14. Havrisik was under pressure because the facility had replaced him.
In a soggy 37-31 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens, he rose to the occasion, making all three of his field goals and two of his extra points.
Following the victory, head coach Sean McVay discussed his starting kicker.
“I saw a guy respond the way that I would want him to from some adversity, from a challenge where you bring in a guy … I thought he just continued to handle that situation like a pro’s pro,” McVay said. “He kicked really well throughout the week and earned the right to be up and active for us on game day and then I thought he delivered in a big way and I think that says a lot about a young guy.”
It’s possible that the addition of Crosby startled him. Many kickers have faltered in the football world after a run of bad luck dampened their momentum. There is a lot of roster turnover and an imperfect search for the top 32 kickers in the world.
For the time being at least, Havrisik lived. McVay persisted in citing Sunday as evidence of his moral fiber.
“It’s easy when things are going well, but when you have a little bit of a challenge, how do you respond? And that’s where you really learn the most about people,” McVay said. “And I was super pleased with him. I think that’s a true testament to the mental toughness that he has … I was really proud of Lucas.”