Lucas Havirisk worked out for the Green Bay Packers on Thursday, signed with the team on Saturday and was active for Sunday’s showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals, and it’s possible Matt LaFleur’s team wouldn’t have won without his work as the emergency kicker on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Active in place of injured veteran kicker Brandon McManus, who hurt his quad during Wednesday’s practice and was inactive on Sunday, Havrisik connected on all five of his kicks, including a clutch field goal late that put the Packers up two scores in the fourth quarter.

The Packers won by nine points, 27-18. Havrisik’s kicks — two field goals and three extra points — created nine points, providing the winning margin.

None of the kicks were of extreme difficulty — the longest field goal was only 43 yards, practically a chip shot in today’s NFL. But the wind was a factor at times at Lambeau Field, and Havrisik left no points on the field in his relief appearance.

Even LaFleur admitted he was holding his breath late with the Packers facing fourth down and clinging to a six-point lead. Havrisik came on the field and confidently nailed the 39-yard field goal to push the lead to nine points.

After having kicks blocked in each of the previous two games, LaFleur had his eyes on the protection unit instead of the kicker.

“We all know the issues we’ve had up front, too, in those situations,” LaFleur said. “That’s where my focus was. The protection. Our guys, they did an outstanding job…everybody stepped up and did their job.”

Havrisik’s 43-yard field goal in the first half gave the Packers a 3-0 lead. It was his first make in a regular season NFL game since Dec. 21, 2023.

LaFleur said McManus went through an on-field workout before the game Sunday and was confident he could kick, but the veteran also said he “felt” something in his right quad, so the responsible decision was made to sit him. Enter Havrisik, who had not kicked in the NFL in almost two years but was 22-for-25 on field goals during a stint in the UFL this year.

Wearing the No. 35 uniform, Havrisik ensured there would be no special teams meltdown this week.

It’s unclear if McManus will be healthy enough to play next Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. If not, the Packers now have a backup option who earned a little confidence with a perfect performance in a win on Sunday.

This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Emergency kicker Lucas Havrisik shines in Packers’ win over Bengals