Former University of Colorado star Mason Crosby made it clear Friday night: The NFL’s defending scoring champion hopes to exceed the 141 points he put on the board last year and win back-to-back scoring titles.
Make no mistake, the confident and strong-legged kicker for the Green Bay Packers isn’t focused on individual records. Rather, he knows a year’s worth of experience should make him an even better point producer for his team.
“It’s always a goal to put as many points on the board as I can, and trust that the offense is going to be in scoring position,” Crosby said Friday after his two field goals helped Green Bay defeat the Broncos 27-24 at Invesco Field at Mile High. “My plan is to make more kicks this year, so it will be easier to get to that scoring title and help the team win.”
Crosby, 23, is off to a terrific sophomore start after becoming the first rookie to lead the league in scoring since Kevin Butler of the Chicago Bears in 1985. Crosby is 5-of-6 in field goals during the preseason.
His only miss was a 53-yarder Friday night that had plenty of distance but went wide right.
“Obviously I want to make every kick, but that one started right and never came back for me,” Crosby said. “On long-distance kicks, you really have to pinpoint, and that one got away from me.”
Last season, Crosby made 31-of-39 field goals and all 48 extra points. He set franchise records for points in a season by a kicker and stands third in Packers history, behind only Paul Hornung, who amassed 176 points in 1960 and 146 in 1961.
Crosby posted 14 touchbacks — sixth best in the NFL — and the most in Green Bay history since Chris Jacke had 15 in 1991.
All about Aaron.
Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers jogged off the field Friday to more cheers than boos from the large contingent of Packers fans.
The successor to future Hall of Famer Brett Favre had his best game as the controversial starter, connecting on 18-of-22 passes for 193 yards. He threw a touchdown pass to Donald Driver on Green Bay’s opening possession — capping an 80-yard drive — and finished with a QB rating of 118.4.
Rodgers, who struggled in Green Bay’s first two preseason games, both losses, was interception-free against the Broncos and was only sacked once.
“It’s been a good preseason so far, a lot of growing as a person and a player,” Rodgers said. “Tonight was a good step for our offense. After last week, we needed to really take a step forward, and I thought we did that.”
Said Packers coach Mike McCarthy: “I think Aaron Rodgers has done everything right from a focus standpoint . . . and at the end of the day he needs to focus on playing quarterback, and I thought he did that very well tonight.”
Mike Chambers, The Denver Post
