Packers: Three duds from the NFC Championship game
By Cody Young
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur may have coached his worst game
Dud #1: Matt LaFleur
I think Matt LaFleur is not only one of the best play-callers in the NFL, but he is also one of the best and most underrated coaches in all of football. Unfortunately, LaFleur did not call his best game against Tampa Bay. What frustrates me the most about this loss is that the Packers had so many chances to take advantage in this game.
The King play before the half was brutal but to pick off Brady three consecutive drives and only get six points out of it is an indictment on the offense. After the two Jaire Alexander interceptions, the Packers had two straight three-and-outs. The Packers got away from what has worked for them all season and that is running the ball.
Throughout the whole fourth quarter, Green Bay ran it one time and they were down by one score the entire time. Tampa’s run defense was great but AJ Dillon looked solid in his very limited role and I didn’t understand why he wasn’t getting more touches, especially with Aaron Jones getting hurt.
To top this all off, LaFleur elected to kick a field goal on fourth down to turn an eight-point game into a five-point game. I understand that Green Bay had the two-minute warning and three timeouts but I didn’t agree with this decision whatsoever.
Next. Packers positional grades from the NFC title game. dark
Overall, this was a really tough loss that is going to stick with the fanbase for a while. This Packers team may have been the best one we have seen in quite some time and it’s a shame that they couldn’t get past the NFC title game once again.