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GREEN BAY, Wisconsin – Matt LaFleur said that while he did come to regret his decision to take the ball out of Aaron Rodgers ‘hands and throw a basket with 2:09 left in the Packers’ 31-26 loss of Green Bay to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship game on Sunday, he trusted the thought behind the move.
Down eight points (31-23) at the time and facing the fourth base at the 8-yard line, LaFleur sent Mason Crosby for a 26-yard field goal instead of giving Rodgers another shot in the zone. goals (and then a 2 point conversation attempt) to even the score.
Crosby converted, but Rodgers never got the ball back thanks to Tom Brady and a pass interference call on Packers cornerback Kevin King that put the Bucs past the clock.
“Yeah, every time that doesn’t work you always regret it, right?” LaFleur said after the game. “It was just the circumstances of having three shots and coming off without yards and knowing that not only do you need the touchdown, but you need the 2 points. [conversion]. From what I could see, we basically had four times out with the two minute warning.
“We knew we had to stop, and I thought we were going to stop there at the end, but we were called to [defensive pass interference] and it didn’t work. I think every time something doesn’t work do you regret it? Sure, but we’re always going to be guided by the process here, and the way our defense was fighting, the way our defense was playing, it felt like it was the right decision to make. It just didn’t work. “
Rodgers understood the reflection but after the game said, “It wasn’t my decision.” He said LaFleur gave him the option to call the previous play on the third down – a play that resulted in a scrum and a throwaway when Rodgers could have run it.
Rodgers said he could have called a different game if he knew LaFleur was going to go for a field goal.
“I thought we were going to have maybe four chances to go,” Rodgers said.
According to ESPN’s probability of winning model, the Packers had a 10% chance of winning by going on the fourth down and a 9.5% chance of winning by kicking the basket.
The model also suggested that the Packers needed a 21% conversion chance to justify the touchdown there, with the league average conversion rate there at 23%. The Packers have been the number one offense this season.
Earlier, LaFleur opted for a 2-point conversation after Rodgers’ 2-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams with 24 seconds left in the fourth quarter made it 28-23. Packers wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown dropped Rodgers’ pass in the end zone. According to the ESPN model, the failed 2-point trial was the right decision from an analytical standpoint.
However, losing on the point they would have gotten for an extra point, the Packers then found themselves in the position of being down eight and therefore need a touchdown and a 2 point conversation in the last minutes before their last field. goal.
Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians said he thought the decision was the right one – “I thought they had a lot of faith in their defense at the time,” he said – but linebacker Shaq Barrett said he was surprised by the unfolding.
“I couldn’t honestly believe it because there was no guarantee that they would come back there even if they were in fourth – they might as well try,” Barrett said. “I know our offense – they’ve been amazing in the four-minute offense this year, not giving the team the ball – so I had the utmost confidence in them. But, I know if he could. take it back, he probably wouldn’t do that next time. “
While LaFleur might not necessarily speak about the field placement decision, he said towards the end of his press conference that he was not at his peak.
“I felt like we had a lot of opportunities tonight to enjoy and get the job done,” said LaFleur. “We haven’t, and it’s up to me, and it’s a hard pill to swallow when you’re in charge of everyone in this organization to make sure you’re on your A-game, and I don’t don’t feel like I was tonight I’m just disappointed enough [I] let down a lot of people. “
ESPN’s Jenna Laine contributed to this story.
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