Rich Bisaccia didn't make the mistake that cost the Green Bay Packers the game. That's a reasonable argument, but when his special teams unit makes fatal error after fatal error at the worst possible moments, it has to eventually reach a breaking point.
The Packers' NFC North hopes took a hit in their heartbreaking defeat to the Chicago Bears, an epic collapse that started after Romeo Doubs fumbled an onside kick recovery with two minutes remaining.
No, that play isn't specifically on Bisaccia. He didn't botch the recovery. But just like Joe Barry didn't miss every tackle or blow every coverage, when these brutal mistakes keep happening, the buck stops with the coach.
Packers' need for a new special teams coordinator is painfully clear
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay made a surprisingly ruthless decision on Saturday, firing special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn in-season after their loss on Thursday Night Football. Bisaccia's unit is making just as many big-time mistakes in Green Bay. Would LaFleur consider a change?
Failing to recover the onside kick was disastrous, but major special teams blunders are nothing new.
The Packers had a potential game-winning field goal blocked in their Week 3 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Make the kick, and they almost certainly win the game. A week later, leading 13-0 against the Dallas Cowboys, Bisaccia's unit had an extra point blocked, with the Cowboys returning it for two points.
Instead of a 14-0 lead, the score became 13-2, and they eventually tied 40-40.
On Saturday night, the Packers failed to recover an onside kick while leading by seven points with two minutes remaining. The Bears only had two timeouts.
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So, no, Bisaccia didn't make this mistake. But his special teams unit consistently makes unforced errors, week after week, and every so often, they end up costing the Packers. Jason B. Hirschhorn of The Leap summed it up perfectly.
"If the players are routinely faltering on special teams — the weekly kickoffs that result in touchbacks, the consistent penalties on multiple units, and the botched onside kick — it stops being about the individual mistakes and about the coach in charge of the operation," Hirschhorn writes.
It was the same story with Joe Barry as defensive coordinator. His defense made bad mistakes week after week. Were they all his fault? Of course not. He made some good calls that didn't get executed properly. Remember Christian McCaffrey's 39-yard run in the Packers' playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers? The play call would've looked great if Darnell Savage hadn't missed a tackle.
But Barry had lost the benefit of the doubt because when there are so many errors, it falls on the coach. It's the same with Bisaccia.
The Packers consistently have a bottom-10 special teams unit that can't get out of its own way. Was this mistake on Bisaccia? No, he had his players lined up correctly. It's on Doubs.
However, Bisaccia has no margin for error. His unit keeps costing the team. And when you play with fire, don't be surprised when you get burned. It's the third loss or tie in which a major special teams error played a role. It has reached a breaking point.
LaFleur has a decision to make.