Matt LaFleur and the Green Bay Packers found themselves down 31-23 late in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Likely NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers had his Packers inside the Buccaneers’ 10-yard line and facing fourth down with a spot in Super Bowl LV on the line.
That’s when LaFleur made one of the most boneheaded decisions that we’ve ever seen in the NFL Playoffs. The head coach literally opted to kick the field goal with just over two minutes remaining to pull the game within five points.
Sure the Packers’ defense had made plays against Tom Brady in the second half (three interceptions). However, there’s no reasonable explanation for LaFleur opting to kick a field goal down by eight.
It obviously came back to haunt Matt LaFleur and the Packers. Faced with a third down and short on their following drive, the Buccaneers were able to milk the clock following a pass interference penalty against Packers cornerback Kevin King.
That ended the game with Tampa Bay shockingly upsetting the Packers at home to move on to the Super Bowl. For his part, LaFleur wasn’t a popular man for his decision-making late in the game.
Green Bay Packers HC Matt LaFleur blasted for late-game decision in NFC Championship Game
Yeah, that’s not a great look for the head coach. LaFleur will now face a tremendous amount of questions during the offseason after failing to lead the top-seeded Packers to the big game.
For good reason.
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