Coach Mike McCarthy's seemingly eternal patience in Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby appears to have run out.
After Crosby badly pushed a 43-yard field-goal attempt early in the second quarter of Sunday's 21-13 victory over the Chicago Bears, McCarthy essentially abandoned the kicking game as a scoring option.
The obvious proof came midway through the third quarter, when the Packers passed on a 44-yard Crosby attempt and opted to go for it on fourth-and-6 from the Bears' 26-yard line. Green Bay picked up the first down, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers later threw his third touchdown pass to wide receiver James Jones to push the Packers' lead to 21-7.
This is all very bad news for Crosby, who now has missed a field-goal try in eight consecutive games. McCarthy has shown great faith in his kicker, but it's hard to imagine Crosby being anywhere but on the street this time next week.
UPDATE: Surprisingly, McCarthy gave Crosby a chance to redeem himself early in the fourth quarter with a 42-yard attempt. Crosby hit the left upright for another miss -- his 12th of the season. Not good.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.