In case you missed it yesterday, here’s the situation that my title is referring to: the Packers were down 31-23 with 2:09 left in the game and standing at the Bucs 8 yard line. It was 4th and goal, and the Packers needed their three-time MVP to get 8 yards for a touchdown. Except Matt LaFleur decided that he didn’t. He decided instead to take the field goal and cut the score to 31-26 which meant that now instead of the Packers needing one play to get a touchdown, they would need to kickoff, force a three and out, get a decent punt return, drive down the field, and score a touchdown. So again I ask, what the hell was Matt LaFleur thinking?
This was one of the most inexplicable decisions in NFL history. Even Aaron Rodgers was shocked as he said after the game that he would have called a different play on third down if he knew a field goal was even a possibility on fourth. This tells me that LaFleur trusts Rodgers enough to call the play he wanted at the end of the game. But not enough to get 8 yards? Absolutely inexcusable.
Last week, when the Chiefs were up 5 with about a minute to play and their MVP winning QB was in the locker room with a concussion, Andy Reid drew up one of the most surprising play calls in the history of the league because he trusted Chad Henne more than LaFleur trusted Rodgers.
This is the difference between winning and losing football and the reason why the Chiefs are headed to the Super Bowl and the Packers are headed to the golf course. It was a pathetic display of cowardice from LaFleur that should not be soon forgotten. Oh, and Aaron Rodgers was very non-committal after the game about his future with the team, so LaFleur might have just cost one of the best QBs in NFL history his last best shot at a second Super Bowl and the organization their shot at retaining their star.
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