The Green Bay Packers are now 6-8 following their embarrassing 34-20 loss at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While Jordan Love and the offense continued to show that they are setting a good foundation for their future in Green Bay, the defense, along with its eight first-round picks (sans Jaire Alexander) did not.
Indeed, the Joe Barry-led defense has been the bane of Packers’ fans existence for the past three seasons. Even in years when the Packers were winning 13 games, the defense always found a way to give up the big play at the wrong time.
Unfortunately, the Packers’ defense has looked outmatched in the majority of games in which it has played as of late. Even the win against the Los Angeles Chargers, which was the first of an impressive three-game winning streak, saw the Packers get lucky with their opponents dropping two sure-fire touchdown passes.
With the offense giving up 34 points and over 400 yards of total offense on Sunday against the Buccaneers, many were calling for Barry to be relieved of his duties. According to head coach Matt LaFleur, though, that will not be happening.
Matt LaFleur Commits to Joe Barry for the Remainder of the Green Bay Packers’ Season
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When addressing the media on Monday, LaFleur was asked if Barry would continue in his role as defensive coordinator for the remainder of the season. Much to the dismay of many fans, the answer was affirmative:
Matt LaFleur says the plan is for Joe Barry to remain the defensive play-caller for the rest of the season.
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) December 18, 2023
While Barry may still have a job, LaFleur also stated that he himself will be stepping in to help fix whatever communication issues Barry claims are happening between him and the players:
Matt LaFleur says he’ll “absolutely” take a bigger role in making sure #Packers defense improves communication: “I’ve got to be more present with those guys in making sure we’re all on the same page.”
He says defensive communication “got exposed” vs. Bucs.
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) December 18, 2023
Furthermore, LaFleur stated that if he thought firing Barry with three games remaining in the season was the best move, he would do it:
Not surprisingly, LaFleur is standing behind Barry and said if he thought making a move was the answer he would have made it.
— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) December 18, 2023
This is not something that LaFleur should have to do with a defensive coordinator that is in his third season with the team. Furthermore, it is not something that he should have to do with just three weeks left in the regular season.
The fact of the matter is that, despite being 6-8, the Packers have a 93% chance to make the NFL Playoffs if they win their last three games. Barry and whatever he is doing with his defense cannot continue to do what they’ve been doing if Green Bay has any hope of making it to the postseason.
Presumably, Barry is in the final year of his contract with the Packers. Regardless of the outcome of the last three games, it is very difficult to see a situation in which he returns as defensive coordinator.
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