Nov 05, 2025
3 min read
LaFleur coaches one of the best teams in the NFL on Sundays, but it doesn't always look like Sundays.
GREEN BAY, Wis.— There are times when Matt LaFleur looks like one of the best coaches in the NFL.
And then there are times like Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, with 11 minutes left in the game, with the Green Bay Packers running a fourth-and-8 from Carolina's 13-yard line and down by seven.
For whatever reason, LaFleur hit a 31-yarder instead to cut the Panthers' lead to four with plenty of time left.As you might expect, the Packers (5-2-1) lost the game by three points, 16-13.
It's almost as if LaFleur is panicking at this point.He's in his seventh year as the head coach of one of the NFL's most successful teams since taking over in Green Bay, but he hasn't looked like it during this particular stretch.
"Hindsight is 20/20. I hope he takes those ideas. He didn't do it there," he said."Bad decision."
The fourth down play failed from the start as defensive end Derrick Brown separated center Elgton Jenkins and right guard Jordan Morgan, forcing running back Jordan Love out of his right pocket. Love then ran around like a chicken with its head cut off to avoid multiple defenders before praying directly downfield to cornerback Mike Jackson in the end zone. Jackson threw a soft interception, allowing the Packers to avoid a potential pick six.
Puter is used to reveal, but the decision to change the pareh.
"Matt made up his mind about it," Love said."He was going to try for a touchdown and obviously it didn't work out."
"They played their soft defense and they were able to get him down. You start the scrimmage and at that point you're trying to find a way to make a play and you're going to throw it in the end zone and hope somebody comes and makes a play. But we just weren't on the same page, I just had to find a way to try to get it in the end zone and get it in the end zone.
Before the fourth-down play broke down, Love called timeout because the receivers were misaligned.The Dubs waved their arms in the air and Love clapped twice as Malik Heath appeared to pass the formation.Rookie wide receiver Savion Williams began following Heath before settling to the left side as Love motioned for him to stay put.By Heath's timeout, there were six seconds left on the game clock.And when Love signaled Dobbs lined up outside running back Emmanuel Wilson instead of inside him on the right side of the formation, with two seconds left.
"And these green things, down to a major battle four, can not return to the line," Fox color greg olsen said Gresen
Love called a timeout as the Dubs clapped in frustration and boos rained down from the home crowd.This isn't the first time the Packers have struggled for pass-catchers to properly line up pre-snap in a critical situation.It happened in the final game against the Cowboys.
"We were dealing with location and setup and everything, so there was a lot of chaos.
The jeers continued after the game itself failed.
As if the initial decision to lay up, rush and attack wasn't bad enough, there was one game before that.
On third-and-3 from the Panthers' 8-yard line, LaFleur called a screen to the left with backup Emmanuel Wilson flanked by Josh Jacobs.The Packers lined up with trips to the left, and Wilson noted as such.Love hit Wilson about 5 yards out, and safety Tre'von Moehrig beat Heath's block attempt to knock Wilson to the ground for a 5-yard loss.
"It was a bad play call," Lafleur said."At the end of the day, we played the same way before. (Love) went to Rome on the back end. I saw one guy there.
Ironically, this also happened in that Cowboys game when the Doubs failed to block cornerback Trevon Diggs on a screen from receiver Matthew Golden for a 3-yard loss in overtime, two plays before the desperate tying point.It's not exactly cause and effect between sloppy screens and not knowing where you should line up shortly after them, but the fact is that too often this season the Packers have looked disorganized or clumsy on offense with its talent on that side of the ball.Yes, they've dealt with injuries to key pass catchers and lost tight end Tucker Kraft early in the third quarter on Sunday to what looks like an ACL, but there's no excuse for averaging just 7.5 points in the first half over the last six games.These streaks were countered brilliantly offensively, leading the Packers to enter Week 9 in the NFL ranked fifth with a rating of 27.6.
Still, the Packers are leaving plenty of meat on the bone despite those poor scoring numbers, and that's the fault of the head coach and players.No setting was a better microcosm than a couple of plays that could have cost them the game early in the fourth quarter when LaFleur and a few other guys on the field left much to be desired.A task made significantly more difficult by the possible loss of craftsmanship.
"I think he's not used to it," Love said of his big deal.
