Tag: matt lafleur

Matt LaFleur: Poor offensive line play was ‘No. 1 issue’ vs. Jets

Packers coach Matt LaFleur: “It really doesn’t matter what we do schematically, if we don’t block better, it’s hard to do anything. I think that was the No. 1 issue yesterday.”

Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur pointed to the play of the offensive line as the No. 1 reason why his offense played so poorly during Sunday’s 27-10 loss to the New York Jets

“It really doesn’t matter what we do schematically, if we don’t block better, it’s hard to do anything. I think that was the No. 1 issue yesterday,” LaFleur said.

The Packers averaged 3.0 yards per rush overall, struggled to run the ball on first down and poorly protected quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the passing game. The result? Green Bay scored three points on eight possessions in the first half and only 10 total points.

LaFleur said that, in addition to four sacks, the Jets hit Rodgers eight times. Looping stunts and slanting defensive linemen opened up massive holes in the line and allowed unblocked players free access to Rodgers and the running backs.

LaFleur said the Packers to take a long look at the play of the offensive line – and what needs to change, including personnel – after what can be described as the worst performance of the LaFleur era.

“We definitely have to look at what we’re doing in that regard, because it hasn’t been up to the level that we’ve been accustomed to in my tenure here. We haven’t performed that poorly in a game up to this point,” LaFleur said.

LaFleur pointed to mental errors up front, including one situation where Royce Newman didn’t make the right decision on an adjusted protection and created a negative play.

“Way too many negative plays,” LaFleur said.

Andy Herman of Packer Report put together two-minute blooper reel of all the times the offensive line had issues against the Jets:

No rest for the weary. This week, the Packers go on the road to play the Washington Commanders, who have first-round picks Montez Sweat, Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne highlighting their defensive front.

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Packers coach Matt LaFleur loses back-to-back regular season games for first time

For the first time, Packers coach Matt LaFleur has lost back-to-back regular-season games in the same season.

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It took 55 games, but for the first time in his head-coaching career, Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur has lost back-to-back regular season games in the same season.

The two teams from New York snapped the streak.

One week after blowing a 17-3 first-half lead over the Giants and losing 27-22 in London, LaFleur’s Packers gave up three touchdowns in the second half to the visiting Jets at Lambeau Field and lost 27-10.

“Obviously, extremely disappointed right now,” LaFleur said. “That was very humbling when you’re in your own building and you get taken like that, lose by three scores. We all have to do better. Coach it better. Execute better. We have to get back to work.”

Suddenly, his team is in an uncomfortable position.

The Packers are 3-3 after six games. LaFleur’s teams have finished 13-3, 13-3 and 13-4 during his first three seasons as coach.

In each of the last two weeks, the Packers were favored by at least a touchdown.

And Sunday was a rare loss in Green Bay: The Packers came into the game at 24-2 under LaFleur in regular season games at Lambeau Field.

LaFleur’s offense scored three points in the first half and finished with only 10 points on 13 possessions.

“That’s about as frustrating a game as I’ve ever been a part of in terms of an offensive perspective, in trying to get something going and you can’t and you’re looking for answers,” LaFleur said.

The Packers will now embark on a three-game road trip, starting next Sunday in Washington against the Commanders.

Expect LaFleur’s team to look inward.

“If you don’t correct yourself, it really doesn’t matter what you come up with,” LaFleur said. “If we don’t fix ourselves first, it doesn’t matter what we put in front of our players.”

Packers coach Matt LaFleur explains pivotal three-and-out sequence vs. Giants

Packers coach Matt LaFleur explained the process behind a pivotal three-and-out sequence against the Giants on Sunday.

A turning point of the Green Bay Packers’ 27-22 loss to the New York Giants arrived during a pivotal three-and-out sequence from the Packers offense after the Giants tied the game at 20-20. Aaron Rodgers threw three straight completions and the Packers punted the ball back to the Giants, who promptly drove down the field for the go-ahead (and game-winning) score.

So, what happened? Why three passes?

Coach Matt LaFleur provided some explanations for the thought process on Monday. In short, the Giants dared the Packers to pass, and despite three good playcalls, the execution needed in the passing game just wasn’t there.

“In hindsight, here’s the deal, 1st-and-10, you get single-high, you call a play to attack the single-high,” LaFleur said.

The Packers ran a combination route with Allen Lazard and Romeo Doubs to the right of the formation, with Doubs clearing space and Lazard running the slot fade. A staple concept for the Packers passing game (see: 32-yard catch from Lazard vs. Patriots). LaFleur thought there was illegal contact from the defender on Lazard, which messed up the timing of the play. Rodgers’ throw sailed over Lazard’s head and fell harmlessly incomplete. Lazard clearly wanted a penalty.

“Allen did get bumped into,” LaFleur said.

No flags.

Now it’s 2nd-and-10. Run to get a few yards? Or throw for the best chance at a big play? The Packers had both on, but Rodgers picked the pass against an 8-man box and man coverage.

“Second down, we called a run-pass option, or a can play, where if they wanted to load the box up and dare us to throw the football, which they did quite a bit, then we’re going to take that opportunity,” LaFleur said.

The Packers called the same play that resulted in an explosive play for Doubs earlier in the game.

“We felt like we had a premier play,” LaFleur said.

Once again, the Giants played man-to-man coverage with a single high safety. Randall Cobb lined up in the slot against an undrafted cornerback playing his fourth NFL game.

“This time, we had Cobby on the through route. It was one-on-one,” LaFleur said.

The cornerback made a nice play and Cobb couldn’t finish the completion. Had he made the catch, an explosive play was not only possible but likely. In fact, he had only the safety to beat.

The play was one the Packers had used successfully in the recent past.

“That’s a play that we ran on 3rd-and-1 in overtime versus New England and we got a key completion. It’s OK when it works out and it’s not OK when it doesn’t. That’s just the nature of our game.”

Should the Packers have run the ball on second down?

“You have to put your guys in the best position possible to pick up a first down. I felt confident about the play. I’ve got confidence that we’re going to execute that play 9 out of 10 times,” LaFleur said.

On third down, the Packers faced a blitz and didn’t handle it well, and Rodgers’ throw to Lazard deep down the field wasn’t completed. Lazard had one-on-one but was unable to come back to the ball and make the play against a smaller corner.

The result was 4th-and-10 and a punt. The drive took up only 26 seconds of game time.

LaFleur: “I understand that going into it, you’re going to have to stand up here today and answer for that, and I’m perfectly fine with that, as long as our process and our thought process is in the right spot. Unfortunately, from a results standpoint, it didn’t work out.”

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Packers coach Matt LaFleur: Loss to Giants in London ‘as disappointing as it gets’

LaFleur after Packers’ 27-22 loss to Giants in London: “Obviously, this is as disappointing as it gets for us.”

The Green Bay Packers squandered a 14-point first-half lead, didn’t score on offense in the second half and eventually lost to the New York Giants by a 27-22 final score on Sunday in London.

Coach Matt LaFleur didn’t mince words about the performance and the disappointment of the defeat.

“Obviously, this is as disappointing as it gets for us,” LaFleur said. “Give New York all the credit. They out-coached us, out-played us, they definitely wanted it more. It was the tale of two halves.”

The Packers held leads of 17-3 and 20-10 in the first half, but everything fell apart in the second half. Green Bay gave up 17 straight points to hand the Giants a 27-20 lead, and an opportunity to tie the game late in the fourth quarter came up empty when New York batted down back-to-back Aaron Rodgers passes on third and fourth down.

The Packers came in heavily favored against an undermanned Giants team quarterbacked by Daniel Jones, who was battling an ankle injury this week. But Jones led the Giants on five straight scoring drives spanning the final three quarters, eliminating the deficit and eventually giving New York an unexpected late-game lead.

The Packers scored two late points on a safety, but the second half was still the fourth time in five games that LaFleur’s team scored three or fewer points in a half.

“We have yet to put together a full game as a team,” LaFleur.

The Packers snapped their three-game win streak and are now 3-2 after five games. LaFleur’s team returns home to play the New York Jets next Sunday at Lambeau Field.

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Packers coach Matt LaFleur regrets late challenge on Romeo Doubs drop

Packers coach Matt LaFleur described the challenge as an “emotional decision” that was like “throwing a Hail Mary.”

Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur said he made an “emotional decision” when he went against the advice of an assistant coach and challenged the drop by receiver Romeo Doubs in the end zone late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win over the New England Patriots.

Doubs briefly hauled in Aaron Rodgers’ deep pass on 3rd-and-8 from the 40-yard line with 2:02 left, but the rookie failed to maintain control of the ball through contact with the ground, resulting in an incomplete pass.

LaFleur, despite advice from assistant quarterbacks coach Connor Lewis, challenged the call in hopes of getting the touchdown and lost, resulting in the Packers losing a precious timeout late in the game.

“I’m not too proud of that moment. That was an emotional decision,” LaFleur said. “It was a great learning lesson. You can never make those emotional decisions in the heat of the battle. You know better. You have to survive the ground. Connor Lewis, he’s up in the box and he’s in my ear, and he said, ‘I don’t think so.’ He said we shouldn’t challenge it. I just made it an emotional decision. It was almost like throwing a Hail Mary. That could have came back and bit us in the butt. I’d rather learn from that, being on this side, thank god our guys bailed me out in that regard. Definitely the worst decision of the day by me.”

Had the call been overturned, the touchdown by Doubs would have given the Packers a 31-24 lead. But the rule is now clear: A player has to “survive” going to the ground or the call is incomplete, and Doubs clearly lost the ball upon hitting the ground in the end zone.

The decision to challenge did hurt the Packers in regulation. After losing a timeout, LaFleur had just one remaining, and the Patriots – following a punt to the 2-yard line – were able to run out most of the remaining clock in the fourth quarter and prevent one final attempt by the Packers offense to win the game in regulation.

Instead of getting the ball back with 50 or so seconds and a legitimate chance to get into field goal range, the Packers had just four seconds remaining and ran a desperation play from their own 42-yard line to finish the fourth quarter.

The Packers ended up winning in overtime, so LaFleur dodged a bullet. An emotional decision that had real implications on the game didn’t end up costing the Packers a victory.

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Packers coach Matt LaFleur is laying the Brian Hoyer praise on thick

Green Bay Packers coach Matt Lafleur has tremendous respect for Brian Hoyer

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur is not overlooking New England Patriots quarterback Brian Hoyer heading into their matchup on Sunday.

Lafleur is familiar with Hoyer, as the coach’s brother, Mike LaFleur, coached Hoyer in San Francisco. He was also a coaching intern for the Cleveland Browns in 2014, when Hoyer was on the team. That year, the quarterback passed for 3,326 yards and 12 touchdowns. His 242 completions and 438 attempts that year remain career-highs for him.

Hoyer might have a chance to add to his career statistics, if he gets the opportunity to man New England’s quarterback ship following the injury to Mac Jones.

Matt Lafleur doesn’t plan on approaching the Patriots offense any differently, regardless of who is under center.

“Brian Hoyer is a guy I’ve got a lot of respect for,” said LaFleur, per NESN’s Mike Cole. “My brother was on that staff in Cleveland when he was a starter, and they had him again when he was in San Francisco as well. I remember watching a lot of the cut-ups from the ’14 season, and you could make the case and take all his great plays he made, and you would have thought he was one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

“He’s been doing it for a really long time, and he’s going to know their system inside and out. That always presents some challenges when you have a veteran versus a more inexperienced player. Although I don’t wanna take anything away from Mac. Mac has been unbelievable, obviously, having a Pro Bowl season last year and doing some great things this year, as well. Whoever’s out there, you just gotta adjust and adapt.”

New England could look to Hoyer to provide some stability at the quarterback position, as the organization tries to figure out what to do with Jones’ injury.

This would be Hoyer’s first start since Week 4 of the 2020 season against the Kansas City Chiefs. Now, he will look to put the Patriots back on the winning track.

At the very least, the Green Bay Packers will be ready for whatever the New England offense throws at them. It will be interesting to see how the Patriots plan for a powerhouse Packers team.

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Inside the hot start to Romeo Doubs’ rookie season for Packers

Romeo Doubs has been one of the NFL’s best rookie receivers through the first three weeks of the 2022 season, and his coach spoke glowingly of his ability and potential on Monday.

Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur said he believes rookie receiver Romeo Doubs is “not even close to his ceiling” and has “a ton of potential” after watching him catch eight passes for 73 yards and a touchdown during a breakout performance in his first NFL start on Sunday.

Doubs, a summer star of training camp, “earned” the opportunity to play 55 snaps against the Buccaneers.

“He made the most of his snaps yesterday. He did an outstanding job,” LaFleur said Monday. “He was a guy who showed up consistently being able to separate versus man coverage that we were getting.”

Doubs scored his first NFL touchdown in the first quarter and also extended his streak of games with at least one catch of 20 yards to three to start his career.

How good has the fourth-round pick been so far despite playing only 38 snaps per game?

Through three weeks, Doubs has a team-high 14 catches for 137 yards. He ranks first among rookie receivers in catch percentage (87.5), yards after the catch (87) and passer rating when targeted (123.2), fourth in receptions and receiving yards, and sixth in yards per route run (1.90).

The only three rookie receivers ahead of him in catches and yards are first-round picks – Drake London, Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave.

Doubs was the 132nd overall pick.

“He’s got the body-movement skills. He’s got the explosiveness. He plays on his insteps, gets both feet in the ground, and that allows him to get off bump coverage. The game is certainly not too big for him,” LaFleur said. “You feel it every time we go out there, he’s a guy who is showing more and more confidence. That’s a big part of playing up to your potential, and this is a kid that’s got a ton of potential. We’re excited about him.”

LaFleur talks about Doubs like he’s the next great wide receiver find in Green Bay.

The rookie will continue to get opportunities with Sammy Watkins on injured reserve. In a month’s time, it might be tough for Watkins to get back on the field in a meaningful way.

“These next few weeks will be critical to his growth. Having the majority of the snaps playing the X,” LaFleur said.

The Packers play the New England Patriots, New York Giants and New York Giants over the next three weeks.

The Packers don’t just have to play Doubs out wide. LaFleur praised his versatility, too.

“That’s the beauty with him,” LaFleur said. He’s not just an outside receiver, you can put him in the slot, he has that versatility. He knows our concepts, he cares about the game, and he gives great effort each and every day.”

Doubs has played 95 snaps out wide and 20 in the slot, per PFF, so this isn’t just coach speak.

With 14 catches in three games, Doubs is on pace to catch almost 80 passes in 17 games. It would be a rare season for a rookie picked in the fourth round or later, as Justis Mosqueda of Acme Packing Co. pointed out here.

He’s making impact plays, too.

Against the Bears in Week 2, Doubs turned a 2nd-and-28 play into a 20-yard gain on a well-executed receiver screen. The Packers converted the ensuing third down and eventually scored a touchdown. Both LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers called it the most important play of the game.

On Sunday, Doubs caught two passes on in-breaking routes off run-action for 36 yards. Rodgers praised his ability to pluck the ball out of the air with strong hands. Doubs also made good on an RPO opportunity from Rodgers on third down to score his first touchdown, and he later turned two short passes into the flat into productive gains by flashing his athleticism and speed around the corner.

The flashes are real. The potential is real. It’s early, and LaFleur and Rodgers know more growing pains are to come, but Doubs has a unique combination: Obvious talent, and real opportunity. The two are coming together to create a special start to the rookie’s first season in Green Bay.

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Matt LaFleur explains rotating LT David Bakhtiari during first game back

The Packers rotated David Bakhtiari and Yosh Nijman in and out at left tackle during Sunday’s win over the Bucs.

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Matt LaFleur admitted that his starting left tackle didn’t like the idea, but the Green Bay Packers coach didn’t want to overwhelm David Bakhtiari in his first game of the 2022 season.

LaFleur rotated Bakhtiari in and out at left tackle on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, using Yosh Nijman – the starter the first two games – to spell him every other series.

Bakhtiari, a five-time All-Pro, was making just his second overall start since suffering a significant knee injury on Dec. 31 of 2020.

LaFleur pointed to the hot weather in Tampa, the fact Bakhtiari hasn’t played a full game in two years and the overall play of Nijman as primary reasons why he used both players at left tackle on Sunday.

“Just trying to keep (David) available for the whole game,” LaFleur said following the Packers’ 14-12 win. “We didn’t want to go zero to 60 with him in regards to, OK, here’s a guy who hasn’t played a lot – outside of that Detroit game – hasn’t played in almost two years. Do you load him up with 60 plays in a game? We didn’t think that was the right thing to do. And Yosh has done a great job as well. So it’s a credit to Yosh.”

Bakhtiari started the game at left tackle but he split the offensive’s 12 drives with Nijman.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers said he thought the pass protection was good, especially against a talented Buccaneers front, and he felt both left tackles handled their business.

LaFleur wasn’t ready to commit to anything for next week, meaning a rotation could still be in play when the Packers host the New England Patriots next Sunday.

“We’ll see how his knee responds to the load that was put on him today, and we’ll make a decision that we feel is in the best interest of us as a football team moving forward,” LaFleur said.

Last season, Bakhtiari played 27 in the first half against the Detroit Lions in the season finale. His knee didn’t respond well and he missed the Packers’ playoff loss to the 49ers.

On Sunday, Bakhtiari played 34 snaps, per Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. The Packers played 61 offensive snaps total against the Bucs.

Packers LT Yosh Nijman has done ‘damn good job’ through 2 games

Packers coach Matt LaFleur said he doesn’t have to game plan differently because LT Yosh Nijman has played so well to start 2022.

Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Wednesday that he doesn’t know if David Bakhtiari will play Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he’s not changing his game-planning procedure in large part because backup Yosh Nijman has played so well at left tackle through two games in 2022.

“I think Yosh has done a damn good job in his time starting for us,” LaFleur said.

LaFleur said the Packers haven’t had to change much in terms of game-planning because of the way Nijman has played to start 2022.

“We’re not going to game plan any different,” LaFleur said.

Nijman has played 129 snaps at left tackle over two games. According to Pro Football Focus, he’s allowed only three pressures over 71 pass-blocking snaps – although he did allow a sack to Robert Quinn in Week 2 – and has the third-best pass-blocking grades among NFL offensive tackles with at least 20 pass-blocking snaps in 2022.

Nijman is in Year 4 with the Packers. He started eight games at left tackle in 2021 and now appears to be making another jump in performance in 2022.

The challenges never stop as a left tackle in the NFL. Next up is the Buccaneers, who start Shaq Barrett and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka at edge rusher. Barrett is one of the best rushers in football, and Tryon-Shoyinka was a first-round pick in 2021.

It’s certainly possible Nijman and Elgton Jenkins will be the tackle duo attempting to keep them away from Aaron Rodgers on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.

LaFleur said he didn’t know if Bakhtiari – who has played one game since the start of the 2021 season – will be available on Sunday.

“We’re going to take it one day at a time, and we’ll see where we’re at on Sunday. I don’t even let my mind go there at this point,” LaFleur said.

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WATCH: the Packers had nice things to say about Justin Jefferson

Jefferson was Mic’D up on Sunday and it led to some nice moments from the hated division rival

It’s no secret that Justin Jefferson is one of the best players in the NFL.

Against the Green Bay Packers, Jefferson had a monster day with nine catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns. He did most of his damage on deep crossing routes and ended the first week with the Nickelodeon NVP award and leading the league in receiving yards. Head coach Kevin O’Connell did a great job getting Jefferson in creative situations to get him open.

During the game, Jefferson was mic’d up and after the game, Packers players and coaches had a lot of nice things to say to the NFL’s best wide receiver.

These were some nice superlatives handed out by head coach Matt LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers but the best one came from Aaron Jones who told Jefferson “You didn’t have to do us like that.”

Yes Aaron, yes he did.