Lucas Havrisik’s Shocking Rise: How the New Rams Kicker Could Decide This Week’s NFL Showdown

Green Bay, WI — Lucas Havrisik’s rise from mid-season free agent to Green Bay Packers folk hero is the NFL’s most unlikely feel-good story of October 2025. Signed off the street on October 11 to cover for veteran Brandon McManus’ quad injury, the second-year kicker has drilled 10 straight field goals, including Sunday’s franchise-record 61-yard bomb that sealed a 29-24 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. From substitute teacher to substitute kicker Just 10 days ago, the 25-year-old California native was weighing a substitute-teaching gig while lining up workouts for half a dozen NFL clubs. Now he’s cashing in on a second chance after a spring stint with the UFL’s Arlington Renegades and a preseason cut by the Cleveland Browns. His back-to-back perfect outings—5-for-5 in Week 6 and 3-for-3 on extra points—earned him the Packers’ locker-room game ball and instant cult status at Lambeau Field. Why Green Bay called McManus, nursing a right-quad strain, still hasn’t attempted a kick in practice this week, leaving special-teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia to ride the hot foot at least one more Sunday. Havrisik’s booming leg solves two problems at once: distance and kickoff touchbacks. Eight of his nine kickoffs have reached the end zone, limiting opponents’ starting field position. College pedigree meets pro breakthrough Havrisik left Arizona in 2021 as the program’s all-time leader in 50-plus-yard field goals, headlined by a school-record 57-yarder. Scouts loved the leg talent but knocked his mid-range accuracy. A year in multiple camps, plus mechanical tweaks with private coach John Carney, have turned those misses into money kicks—the ball now “comes off his foot like a driver off the tee,” Bisaccia joked post-game. Locker-room reaction Quarterback Jordan Love: “Knowing we’re in scoring range past the 45 is huge. The 61-yarder sparked the sideline.” Safety Jaire Alexander added, “We keep calling him ‘Teach’ because two weeks ago he was about to hand out pop quizzes.” Even McManus has become a mentor, offering film tips between rehab sessions. Fantasy-football and betting impact Havrisik is suddenly a top waiver-wire pickup after delivering 14 and 17 fantasy points in consecutive weeks. Oddsmakers bumped the Packers’ Super Bowl futures from +2800 to +2200, citing improved special-teams reliability. What’s next If McManus remains shelved, Havrisik will kick indoors at U.S. Bank Stadium against Minnesota’s top-10 defense. Another flawless day could compel GM Brian Gutekunst to keep two kickers or, more dramatically, stick with the hot hand through the playoff push. Bottom line Search interest in “Lucas Havrisik” is exploding for good reason: his leg strength, overnight narrative, and immediate impact have vaulted him from anonymity to a key piece of the Packers’ postseason puzzle. Whether this Cinderella run lasts a week or the rest of the season, Green Bay has found its clutch closer—at least for now.