Matt LaFleur’s early success with the Green Bay Packers wasn’t a coincidence. He shattered records and led the team to three consecutive 13-win seasons, including two years when Aaron Rodgers was locked in a power struggle with the front office.
When it comes to getting the most out of the current Packers offense, the only two coaches who could arguably do better are Andy Reid and Sean McVay. Still, like any head coach, LaFleur has his share of weaknesses, which were particularly evident in last week’s loss to the Cleveland Browns and in Sunday’s tie with the Dallas Cowboys.
The tendency to be over-conservative has become LaFleur’s Achilles’ heel. Last week in Cleveland, Jordan Love attempted only one pass that traveled 10 or more yards. His average depth of target was just 1.7, compared to 10.8 and 15 in the previous two weeks. LaFleur respected Myles Garrett, but he let fear of his impact dictate the game plan. There was virtually no vertical passing game, and the Browns were able to flock to the ball on every short route.
The Packers didn’t do much to establish a run game or any under-center concepts either. The Browns weren’t afraid of play-action because the run game was ineffective, and the pass rush was immediately in Love’s face, whether they blitzed or not.
Things didn’t get much better in Dallas. With 17 seconds remaining and three timeouts, the Packers faced third-and-one. Instead of being aggressive, they ran the ball twice and ultimately settled for a 53-yard field goal.
That’s not how you win games. There was plenty of time on the clock, Love was playing at a high level, and the team could have gained just one big play to put themselves in a better position. Trust your quarterback and take the shot.
The Packers got their only possession in OT with 4:40 left. They converted fourth-and-six with 3:50 remaining, didn’t face another third down until there were only six seconds left, and somehow threw just one pass into the end zone. With a quarterback who was slinging it, the play-calling was shockingly conservative. On top of that, the offense leaned heavily on RPO concepts, running the following plays:
- Run-pass option (RPO) WR screen
- Aborted RPO + ineligible man penalty
- Third-and-six heave (no defensive pass interference)
- Fourth-and-six dropback bullet to Golden
- Run
- RPO run
- Wicks slant
- Doubs slant
- RPO run (had numbers to throw it)
- RPO screen
- RPO double-move
- Heave
The Packers had first-and-10 at the Dallas 25 with 1:15 left, and they nearly ran out the clock instead of pushing aggressively. They ran the ball again on second-and-four with 52 seconds remaining, showing little sense of urgency to move downfield.
On an RPO screen with 32 seconds left, Doubs missed his block. Then Trevon Diggs read the play perfectly, jumped the screen to tackle Matthew Golden with under 30 seconds remaining, tackled him in bounds, and forced LaFleur to call his final timeout.
On the next play, Love threw a checkdown to Emanuel Wilson, who was tackled in-bounds with 22 seconds remaining on the clock. Then, they snapped the ball with six seconds remaining, and Love threw a pass to Golden at the back end of the end zone. However, it fell incomplete with a second remaining on the clock.
“Obviously, the play calls sucked, they weren’t good enough,” LaFleur said after the game.
It was pretty noticeable how slow Green Bay’s pre-snap operation was. It felt like they were afraid of committing a game-ending turnover in the red zone. When you’re more worried about losing than actually trying to win, you’re setting yourself up for failure in the NFL.
“If I knew it was going to end like that,” LaFleur admitted after the game, “we would’ve gone faster.”
Matt LaFleur is a keen offensive mind, and you’d expect him to get things figured out sooner rather than later. While it’s not that he doesn’t trust Love, there are times he calls the game like he’s holding something back. Among passers with at least 60 dropbacks, Love ranks first in EPA per play. Moreover, Love just had the best stretch of September in his career since becoming the starter, so LaFleur should have every reason to fully trust him.
The Packers now head into the bye week. Next up is the Cincinnati Bengals, who rank 24th in EPA per play allowed and 22nd in total defensive EPA before Monday Night Football. With some time to regroup and hopefully get a few bodies healthy, Matt LaFleur could have more confidence in the offensive line, which may allow him to open up the playbook and call a more diverse game on offense.
