The Green Bay Packers are in a situation in which they have rarely found themselves over the past 30 years. At 4-7, the team needs quite a few miracles in order to make the Playoffs. Indeed, the Packers have struggled mightily all season long, even in the games they won. In addition to inconsistent play in every facet of the game, the Packers have been decimated with injuries to star players. The most notable of these is Rashan Gary, who has a torn ACL.
This recent downward spiral all started with a trip to London. The Packers dropped that game to the New York Giants on what turned out to be the beginning of a five-game losing streak. Of course, the Packers were right back at it the week after the London game. They lost to the New York Jets at Lambeau Field. As it turns out, the decision NOT to take the Bye Week after London is haunting Matt LaFleur.
Matt LaFleur Addresses the Decision to Play a Week after London
The decision not to take a Bye Week after playing an international game was made by Matt LaFleur and the organization. They presumably believed that they would be good enough to not need the Bye after an international trip. Instead, they opted for a late Bye Week. In theory, this would allow them to get healthy for a late Playoffs push.
Of course, that is not what happened. After losing to the Giants, the Packers dropped games to the Jets, Commanders, Bills, and Lions before finally winning against the Dallas Cowboys. They followed up the Cowboys win with a loss against the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night. Meanwhile, injuries have piled up and the team appears to lack any sort of confidence. According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN, LaFleur is second-guessing that decision not to accept the Bye Week after playing in London:
Packers coach Matt LaFleur has second-guessed his decision not take the bye after the Week 5 London game.
The NFL gives teams the choice when they're making the sked.
"Tough lesson considering where we're at, but I made the decision. It's hard to say it was the right decision."
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) November 18, 2022
It certainly has been a tough lesson learned in a season that has been filled with tough lessons for the Packers head coach. While the Playoffs are technically not out of reach for the Packers this season, there is not much hope that they can improve enough to make it. Hopefully LaFleur takes this and all the other lessons he learned into the offseason and makes some real changes.
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2 Comments
Heavy sits the crown! I hope LaFluer isn’t second guessing anything. It is about the here and now, not would’ve or could’ve. That thing called regret is for losers. I hope he is watching what other winning teams are doing. And, learn from your mistakes. Only a crazy person keeps repeating a failure while expecting a different outcome each time. There is a problem with the defense. Start there.
LaFleur isn’t to blame for everything, you know. Players have to play, and that starts with Rodgers not bouncing balls off linemen’s backs.