The Green Bay Packers entered play on Sunday 11-4 and with their eyes set on possibly being able to earn the fifth seed in the NFC. They needed a win over the Minnesota Vikings, a win next week against the Chicago Bears, and a Vikings loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 18 in order to move up in the standings.
But now Green Bay is 11-5 following their 27-25 loss to Minnesota on Sunday afternoon. What is more, if the Washington Commanders defeat the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football and the Dallas Cowboys next week, the Packers could drop down to the seventh seed even if they beat the Bears in Week 18.
Green Bay Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur Took Responsibility for the Loss

For the vast majority of the game, the Packers offense seemed unable to crack Minnesota’s defense. Of course, they were playing without Christian Watson, their fastest wide receiver and most dangerous deep threat. As it turned out, Watson’s absence completely changed the way the Vikings approached Green Bay’s offense.
And the Packers were not ready for it.
Typically, the Vikings play a lot of zone defense because they do not have the fastest defensive backs. With Watson out, though, they were able to play more man-to-man coverage. And Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was not expecting that, nor did he quickly make in-game changes that would account for it.
Afterwards, LaFleur owned up to this failure during his media session:
LIVE: Head Coach Matt LaFleur meets with the media following #GBvsMIN 🎙️ https://t.co/pImiFAF4NJ
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 30, 2024
“I don’t think we were at our best, but that’s a credit to them and our slow start. And that’s on me as much as anybody,” LaFleur said.
One former Packers player certainly agrees, and wishes that LaFleur would do a better job of maintaining his composure during games.
Former Green Bay Packers Offensive Lineman Mark Tauscher Goes Off on Matt LaFleur

Speaking on the ESPN-Milwaukee postgame show, former Packers offensive tackle Mark Tauscher had some heavy criticism for LaFleur, and not just for his game plan, but of how he carries himself on the sideline:
“I thought Kevin O’Connell ate LaFleur’s lunch today.” – @MarkTauscher65 with @espnhomer on Green Bay GameNight
Does Matt LaFleur need to be more even-keeled during games? pic.twitter.com/yrSXvBMMpe
— ESPN Milwaukee (@ESPNMilwaukee) December 30, 2024
“I thought [Vikings head coach] Kevin O’Connell ate LaFleur’s lunch today. LaFleur has got to, I love his passion, he’s got to get himself under, I just feel like he lets his emotions get the better of him too many times.
“He is just over there, and you just see him, players want to see calmness. You want to see a coach go crazy from time to time, but you can’t be every third down that doesn’t happen, or every penalty. It can’t be every time something bad happens, there’s a blank storm.
“There’s got to be some kind of, ‘It’s alright, everything is alright. We’re going to handle this.’ I love the fact that he wants this so bad. You see it, you feel it. Players do too.
“Don’t make everything to be the biggest thing in the world. You got to let stuff roll off your back. Is Andy Reid freaking out every time there is a penalty on a Chief or when they don’t covert a fourth and three? No, he’s not.
“Matt LaFleur gets really animated, and that’s part of his charm, but you can’t ride the wave. By the way, he told Erin Andrews that his team played tight in that first half. Well, why? You’re the trend setter of this group. You have to be relaxed.
“In the grand scheme of things, guys, this wasn’t a playoff game for the Packers. It wasn’t. It should have been a ‘We’re a free-flowing group, we’re going to go for the gusto. Fourth and two, we’re going to go for the touchdown instead of kicking a field goal early.’
“That’s the flow of the game today. Because in the grand scheme, if you are aggressive and you’re playing loose today, and you get beat, you can live with it. You played a really tight first half, and I think Matt LaFleur and the way he approached it was a big part of that.
“So we can all get after ‘Oh they didn’t pass protect,’ or ‘Oh the defense.’ All of it’s true. All of it. But I think Matt LaFleur, I would really love to see him level out and be more even keeled during a game, and be selective with his outbursts, rather than every time the camera pans over, it looks like somebody stole his dog.”
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