Mason Crosby earned redemption after the worst game of his career

In Week 5, Mason Crosby put together one of the worst kicking performances the NFL has ever seen. The Packers kicker missed his first four field goal attempts inside the still air of Detroit’s Ford Field, including three from inside 42 yards, and a missed extra point in a 31-23 loss to the Lions.

It was the kind of outing that would get a young placekicker fired, but the Packers chose to stand by their 12-year veteran. And on Monday night, Crosby showed why.

Crosby got to play hero in a 33-30 comeback win over the San Francisco 49ers, parting the uprights with a 27-yard chip shot as time expired to push Green Bay back into the hunt for the NFC North title. His game-winning kick capped a perfect day that saw him connect on all seven of his attempts on Monday Night Football — three extra points and four field goals, including a 51-yarder.

After the game, Crosby struggled to put just what the win meant into words.

It was a major swing that ensured another massive Rodgers’ effort wouldn’t go to waste. The two-time MVP proved he’s still one of the league’s most dangerous players with his second-straight 425+ yard performance. In Week 6, his 442-yard, three-touchdown outing was all for naught thanks to the mental block that pushed the majority of Crosby’s kicks wide left and wide right. In Week 7, Crosby was there to make sure his team’s ventures deep into enemy territory weren’t fruitless — with the exception of a fourth-quarter drive that saw a fourth-and-3 pass from the SF four-yard line fall to the turf in the end zone.

Monday’s game was also Rodgers’ second improbable comeback win of the season. The veteran quarterback kicked off what’s proving to be a roller coaster season by shaking off a knee injury and leading Green Bay back from a 20-0 deficit against the North-leading Bears in his season opener. Rodgers three three second-half touchdown passes, including a game-winning 75-yard strike to Randall Cobb with just over two minutes to play, to reverse the tide of what had been a putrid start for the Pack.

And just like a one-legged Rodgers turned around his season opener, Crosby found a way to put a regrettable performance in his rear view and snap back into form. In Week 6, he was the reason his team lost and fell back to the middle of the pack in a tight divisional race. On Monday, it was his perfect day that lifted Green Bay to an important win. Crosby validated his team’s trust with a 7-7 performance — and showed why you don’t cut a veteran kicker after one bad day, no matter how awful it is.