GREEN BAY — On Thursday, Brandon McManus was explaining how his troublesome right quadriceps, which has been an issue since he injured it in an Oct. 8 practice, felt “almost back to normal” during Monday night’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Less than 48 hours later, the Green Bay Packers veteran kicker was added to the team’s injury report as doubtful for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. — meaning Lucas Havrisik will almost certainly handle the kicking duties.

McManus kicked during Friday’s practice, and when he came to Lambeau Field on Saturday morning, he reported tightness in his quad to the team’s athletic training/medical staffs, an indication that Friday’s kicking session had led to an aggravation or re-injuring of the key muscle in his kicking leg.

“As you work through the progression of being injured, obviously, the pain tolerances and everything get better and better,” McManus had said after Thursday’s practice, during which he does not normally kick at all. “Last week was when I felt almost back to normal — pretty much back to normal. Pretty much no pain; didn’t feel anything in my leg.

“[I’m] definitely healthy now. I was healthy enough to play, and it was our decision from the medical [staff], how I was feeling at practice. And [I] look forward to performing the way I know how to.”

After going 20 for 21 on field-goal attempts and 30 for 30 on extra points last season, McManus has made only 11 of 17 field-goal attempts this season — the NFL’s worst field-goal accuracy of any eligible kicker with 10 or more tries.

Those six misses include the blocked field goal at Cleveland on Sept. 21 and Monday night’s ill-conceived 64-yarder, which head coach Matt LaFleur should have called off in favor of a Hail Mary throw at the end of the game. 

McManus insisted Thursday that his recent struggles aren’t because of his leg being weak or his pain threshold being an issue.

“I’ve been upset with some of these easier kicks that I’ve missed — [kicks] that are relatively easy for me. So, it’s been disappointing,” McManus said.

“[I’ve] been battling through that and going through the whole process of [that I] didn’t have my normal weeks of practice. So, that part was frustrating. And then, obviously, my performance has been extremely frustrating — for me more than anybody.”

The concern now would be that by aggravating the injury, McManus could be headed to injured reserve for the next four games, opening the door for Havrisik if he can continue what he did in his first two appearances.

McManus missed the Packers’ Oct. 12 win over Cincinnati and the team’s Oct. 19 win at Arizona, with Havrisik, signed on Oct. 9, kicking in each of those games.

McManus has been medically cleared to kick in each of the Packers’ last three games — an Oct. 26 win at Pittsburgh, a Nov. 2 home loss to the Carolina Panthers and Monday night’s home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles — while Havrisik has remained on the 53-man roster.

Asked why the team continues to keep Havrisik if McManus is healthy and their clear-cut, no-questions-asked kicker, LaFleur replied, “Lucas is a really good young, up and coming kicker as well. So fortunately for us, we have the flexibility within our roster to carry two.”

And now, Havrisik will be pressed back into duty, having made all 10 of his kicks (six extra points, four field goals, including a franchise-record 61-yarder) while McManus was out.

“It’s been nothing short of remarkable, in my opinion,” LaFleur had said leading up to McManus’ return against the Steelers. “Here’s a guy who hadn’t played within a team setting [since 2023].

“Obviously, he’d been kicking and going on the tryout circuit, but to actually have to go in there in high-pressure situations and make big-time kicks and to come through? I think has been pretty special.”

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