After dropping a critical home game to the Bucs and watch his defense give up too many plays, Packers coach Matt LaFleur does have some changes to make.
But he’s not firing or reassigning defensive coordinator Joe Barry, who is in his third year in Green Bay.
“If I thought that was the best solution today, then we’d make that decision,” LaFleur told reporters, Monday, at his weekly press conference.
The 34-20 loss at Lambeau Field still lingers amongst the Packers. No one will be forgetting Baker Mayfield coming to town and throwing four touchdown passes, three of them in the second half. He scored a perfect passer rating of 158.3.
LaFleur noted the numerous communication breakdowns. Those are the ones that may come early in the season, but not in mid-December when playoff berths are on the line. Defenders lined up in the wrong spot or weren’t aligned correctly. The Packers own web site noted that the breakdowns played a part in the Green Bay defense allowed a dozen plays of at least 18 yards.
“Basic install, like Day 1 install and we have self-inflicted communication errors and guys quite frankly not in the right spot,” LaFleur told reporters. “That’s tough to watch and it happened. It wasn’t just on defense.”
He added: “When you’re having basic communication problems and you’re supposed to be in a certain coverage or a certain rotation and we’re not getting that communication … it always starts with us. It starts with myself and it goes to all our assistant coaches. So obviously the coaching wasn’t up to the standard and our performance on the field definitely showed that as well.”
LaFleur said he felt ‘dumb founded’ by Packers play busts
He said he felt “dumb founded” as he watched game tape.
Players shared similar feelings.
“You’re being introduced to adversity and there’s two ways you’re going to respond to it,” said Packers linebacker Quay Walker. “You’re either going to lay down or you’re going to get up, so that’s it.”
So what happens now? We’re assuming no Packers player is going to lay down. Green Bay still has a chance for an NFL playoff spot, although it won’t be as NFC North division champs. The New York Times playoff simulator rates the Packers chances at 23 percent this week, but Green Bay can make that number escalate. If the Packers beats Carolina this weekend, then the chances jump to 31 percent. Stretch that win streak to two games, with a victory over the Vikings, and the playoff odds go up to 63. And if the season ends with a third straight win, this time a home victory over the Vikings, then the playoffs go up to 94 percent.
But lose to the Panthers and the Packers post-season chances fall off a clip. Click for youself to try all the scenarios.
Meanwhile, LaFleur said he’d be spending more time in meetings with the defense to make sure the communication breakdowns won’t happen again. He said he has no plans to terminate Barry because the Packers defense has been good.
“I’ve seen us execute this stuff before,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that it happened at this time of the year in such an important game. But I’ve seen us execute it earlier in the year or in previous games.”
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