FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – JK Scott reported for work as scheduled, but there was a plane waiting at a nearby airport in case the Packers' rookie punter needed to make an emergency trip home.

With Scott's wife, Sydney, experiencing contractions and only days away from giving birth to the couple's first child, the Packers put a plan in place entering Sunday's game against New England to make sure Scott didn't miss the special occasion.

As an emergency measure, General Manager Brian Gutekunst used the team's open slot on the 53-man roster to sign former Los Angeles Chargers punter Drew Kaser in time for Saturday's final run-through practice.

Scott waited anxiously by his phone all weekend, but the call never came from his wife. So the rookie punter went about his business in punting five times for a net average of 42.0 yards in a strong performance against the Patriots.

"The baby could come at any time," said Scott, whose child's official due date is Nov. 14. "We're inducing this week, if anything else, but I was talking to them. It was awesome. Brian Gutekunst, he pulled me aside and was talking to me, and really caring about me with this baby and my wife. It was cool they would do that for me. Everything was ready for me if the baby came."

What might seem like an awkward situation on the surface was anything but for Scott and Kaser, who hit it off from the start. Having not had any competition for the punting job this past summer, Scott said he enjoyed being able to discuss his craft with the fourth-year veteran.

For Kaser, this weekend presented a great opportunity for him to get back on an NFL roster after being cut last month by the Chargers. He recently took a visit with the Buffalo Bills, but otherwise had been spending his time working out in California in hope of getting another call.

Coincidentally, Kaser woke up to a phone call from the Packers on Friday, asking him to fly in.

"It was a good call to get," said Kaser, laughing. "Honestly, it speaks wonders for this organization that they'd set a plan just in case she does go into labor and stuff, and the security to know he can be there for the birth of his first child."

Kaser practiced Saturday and was mentally prepared to punt if the Packers needed him against the Patriots. Instead, he was happy to lend some sideline support to Scott.

In addition to a booming 53-yard punt in the fourth quarter, Scott helped shift field position in the Packers' favor when he hit a 48-yard punt out of his own end zone on a series that started with Green Bay's defense forcing a turnover on downs at its own 1-yard line.