Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur bemoaned all the opportunities his team missed during a 25-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
LaFleur was visibly agitated after the Packers blew a 12-point fourth-quarter lead on Sunday and still looked disappointed after reviewing the tape on Monday.
“That film was tough to watch now, because there were a lot of opportunities out there for us,” LaFleur said Monday afternoon. “We have to make some of these plays that are out there for us to make.”
From start to finish, the Packers squandered opportunities.
On the offense’s first drive, the Packers got a 44-yard pass interference but didn’t score. In fact, a delay of game penalty on the field goal operation led to a punt. LaFleur said he should have called timeout before the penalty. Yet even after Rasul Douglas intercepted Desmond Ridder on the ensuing drive, the Packers didn’t score again. Not capitalizing on a big penalty and a turnover cost the Packers a chance for a fast start on the road and ended up really hurting late.
LaFleur also mentioned dropped interceptions by Jaire Alexander and Quay Walker, a few opportunities to stop the Falcons on fourth down and a botched quarterback sneak. Given an opportunity to mount a game-winning drive late, Jordan Love threw four straight incompletions.
Along the way, the Packers run defense allowed 211 rushing yards.
“Yeah, it wasn’t good. We got gashed,” LaFleur said.
LaFleur pointed to a strong run scheme by the Falcons and the talent of Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier as major reasons why the Packers struggled to defend the run. Missing tackles also played a factor.
In the fourth quarter, the Packers failed to complete a pass or gain a first down on offense while allowing the Falcons to create three-straight scoring drives, turning a 24-12 lead into a gut-wrenching 25-24 defeat.
Instead of being 2-0 with a pair of road wins to start the season, the Packers are 1-1 going into next week’s home opener against the Saints.
“When you miss an opp, it’s extremely frustrating,” LaFleur said. “You have to capitalize.”