The Green Bay Packers tied with the Dallas Cowboys, and it's hard to process the emotions that game brought on. The Packers scored 40 points but also gave up 40 points to the Cowboys. To make matters worse, Green Bay nearly blew this one on the final offensive play of the game.
Needing a touchdown to win the game, and with seconds ticking away on the overtime clock, the offense took its sweet time getting the ball snapped and into the air. It was absolutely mind-boggling to see them with no sense of urgency in that moment, and they're fortunate the ball landed when it did, or the game would have ended and Dallas would have won.
The Packers had one second left to kick a game-tying field goal. Asked about that terrible final play call, head coach Matt LaFleur didn't give fans anything to work with.
"It's always a fine line you're battling," LaFleur said following the 40-40 tie. "If I knew it was going to end like that, we would've gone faster."
Okay, what? What does this even mean? I get that the tie threw everyone off their media game, but this is the best explanation LaFleur can give? Really?
Matt LaFleur tried to explain final play, but Packers fans are even more confused
The fact of the matter is that after a 2-0 start to the season where the Packers looked like they'd run away with things in the NFC, they're now 2-1-1 and trending downward in a hurry. The ending to this game certainly didn't help their cause because Green Bay could easily be 2-2 right now.
The tie is frustrating, and it's hard for players and coaches to wrap their heads around how to treat it, but LaFleur needs to offer up a better explanation than this. Telling the media that the Packers would have gone faster had they known how the game would have ended is a non-answer.
Why didn't your offense go faster with the game on the line? Under 30 seconds remained on the clock, and that's the play that was decided on? What if the ball lingered in the air for one more second? The frustration Packers fans are feeling right now would be anger instead, and rightfully so.
Fans have the right to be angry with a tie, too, especially when the Packers had every chance to win that game. They had time to dial up a better play-call and try to win it in those final seconds. Hopefully, next time LaFleur has a moment like this, he can at least come up with a better explanation.