Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur punted Wednesday when asked if defensive coordinator Mike Pettine will return to his coaching staff in 2020 after a disastrous performance in the NFC Championship Game in San Francisco.
LaFleur’s lack of a public endorsement suggests Pettine could be in danger of being removed.
“We’re still working through everything, just trying to evaluate everything,” LaFleur said Wednesday.
The Packers gave up 285 rushing yards and 37 points to Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.
LaFleur provided the understatement of the year, stating the performance “wasn’t good enough.”
The 49ers needed to throw only eight passes. Backup running back Raheem Mostert ran 29 times for 220 yards and four touchdowns, including three scores in the first half.
Much of Mostert’s production on the ground came before contact, a strong indictment of the scheme and execution of the Packers’ run defense.
“Obviously, the last game was really disappointing in terms of our performance, especially when you get to a championship game like that,” LaFleur said.
Pettine was originally hired by former coach Mike McCarthy ahead of the 2018 season. LaFleur, a first-time head coach, kept Pettine on staff in 2019, and the Packers finished ninth in points allowed, 18th in yards allowed and seventh in takeaways.
Despite some bright spots and obvious improvement, the Packers ended with a thud of epic proportions.
LaFleur was disappointed with the energy of the defense against the 49ers, especially with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.
The Packers knew what was coming and still couldn’t stop it.
“We knew exactly what they were gonna try to do. For them to be able to do that was extremely disappointing,” LaFleur said.
LaFleur said he would soon sit down with team president Mark Murphy to discuss any potential changes to the coaching staff.