Up and down the green and gold rollercoaster. At times, exhilarating, breathtaking, as Matt LaFleur's Packers look untouchable with statement wins over the Lions, Commanders, and later Aaron Rodgers' Steelers.
Then come the unpredictable sharp turns snapping in new directions, the nauseating plummet back down to earth, courtesy of the hapless Browns and spirited Panthers.
LaFleur is at the wheel, orchestrating the rollercoaster, but he's seemingly unsure of what to do next. He can't decide if his offense is all gas, no brakes, ready to unleash Jordan Love, or if he's terrified of what will happen if he takes off the training wheels.
One minute, LaFleur is going for every fourth down, as he did in the Week 7 win over Arizona, playing like he has an MVP under center. The next, he's calling screen passes on third-and-long as if his system is built around an emergency backup quarterback. The Packers have an identity problem, and it's leading to erratic and unpredictable performances.
Matt LaFleur needs to discover the Packers' offensive identity before it's too late
"Why are they running the ball so much?" Greg Olsen said on the FOX broadcast, as time ticked away in the second quarter.
The Packers trailed by four points with a little over a minute remaining in the half. Instead of trying to push the ball downfield and get into the end zone, LaFleur called consecutive run plays that went nowhere, drew a holding penalty, and drained the clock. It's like he was scared of leaving too much time for *checks notes* Bryce Young and his 48.3 passer rating.
Olsen's comments were undoubtedly echoed around Lambeau Field.
LaFleur has two voices on his shoulders, endlessly debating about whether they trust Love. He's either playing scared or going full YOLO mode. There's no in-between.
Nothing captures this more than the inexcusable turnover on downs late in the game. Down by seven, Green Bay faced a 3rd-and-3 from the Carolina 8-yard line, a golden opportunity to tie the game. Instead of going for the kill, LaFleur called another screen pass, resulting in a 5-yard loss to Emanuel Wilson.
And then, out of nowhere, LaFleur cranked the rollercoaster from 0 to 60 in a flash, from playing it safe to risking it all, bizarrely opting to go for it on 4th-and-8 rather than taking three points on a chip shot.
Love, under immediate pressure, tossed and turned to buy time before heaving a pass into a different zip code to any Packers receiver, almost resulting in a pick-six. LaFleur's play-calling swung from a scared screen pass to a reckless all-or-nothing decision in the blink of an eye.
According to Next Gen Stats, Love threw nine passes behind the line of scrimmage versus Carolina, and another 15 below 10 yards. But it was all or nothing. When LaFleur wasn't trying to dink-and-dunk his way to the end zone, it was almost exclusively home-run balls. Love attempted nearly as many passes of 20-plus yards (five) as throws between 10-19 yards (six). That included three rockets of at least 40 yards.
The green and gold rollercoaster stumbles along with checkdowns, then boom, a 40-yard heave into traffic out of nowhere.
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Rewind to Dallas in Week 4. Talk about a wild ride. LaFleur took the all-out aggressive route late in the second quarter, getting greedy for points 40 seconds before the interval. Despite edging the contest 13-9, LaFleur wanted more and called deep passing plays, only for a strip-sack fumble to gift the Cowboys a free touchdown and a halftime lead.
Then, with the game on the line in overtime, LaFleur played so conservatively that he almost drained the entire clock before settling for a tie. The win was there, begging the Packers to take it, but LaFleur played scared. It's a nauseating lack of identity.
Aaron Nagler of Cheesehead TV put it best. He said LaFleur needs to "start coaching the team he has and not coaching the team he wishes he had."
LaFleur wants his Packers team to run the ball early to open up play-action and passing opportunities. But run-blocking is the offensive line's No. 1 issue.
"They can protect. They stink on the ground. Give Love the keys," Nagler adds.
Perfectly put. The Packers ran the ball on 15 of their 25 first-down plays on Sunday, and to limited success. Add in the lethargic screen game, and Green Bay often found itself behind the sticks, which could explain some of Love's ill-advised, desperate heaves downfield as he tried to shift momentum.
LaFleur can do it. The Packers ran into similar issues against Pittsburgh, but the offense shifted in the second half, putting the game in Love's hands. He made 20 straight completions and started to open up the defense, which, as it happened, helped them find rhythm with the run game. This Packers team can't play like Dan Campbell's Lions and lean heavily on the rushing attack to open up explosive plays in the passing game.
At times, it seems like LaFleur gets that. But then he reverts to, as Nagler puts it, how he wants the offense to look, rather than game-planning for the actual team in front of him.
The Packers lack an identity on offense. We've seen some of the most conservative play-calling — the 3rd-and-3 screen in the red zone belongs in the trash, as does running down the clock and playing for a tie in overtime versus Dallas.
We've also seen ultra-aggressive moves — going for it on 4th-and-8 in field-goal range?! Throwing deep into triple coverage for no apparent reason?!
The Eagles are coming to town. They have an identity. Their defense, now featuring Jaire Alexander, will follow the Panthers' blueprint.
LaFleur needs to reflect and figure out his offense's identity. Until then, the turbulence of the green and gold rollercoaster will continue until it crashes and burns in playoff misery.