LaFleur's Fatal Field Goal Decision

If you asked around the NFL who’d you want to be your quarterback with the game on the line, there’d almost certainly be a unanimous choice: Aaron Rodgers. The Green Bay Packers had Rodgers as their quarterback in the crucial final minutes of the NFC Championship Game versus Tampa Bay. Down 31-23. Fourth-and-goal. Need a touchdown to tie the game. And yet, even with Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback, head coach Matt LeFleur opted to take the ball out of Rodger’s hands and kick a field goal. It made the score 31-26. Green Bay would lose 31-26.

Head coaching decisions are often heavily scrutinized by fans and media alike. Especially if the end result isn’t a victory. Matt LaFleur is about as confident a head coach can be. But LaFleur’s late-game choice was a head-scratcher that’ll leave Packers fans perplexed for years to come.

There’s no way to fully understand the mind of Matt LeFleur. But the bottom line was this: the Packers needed a touchdown. The best person on the field to help you do that is Aaron Rodgers. If you take the ball out of his hand, you better trust your defense. LeFleur did, and I can see why.

The Packers second-half defense was much better than what they displayed in the first half. Jaire Alexander came up with crucial interceptions, albeit with no points coming out of them. Still, the defense was making plays on the Buccaneers when it mattered most. Adding on to that, Green Bay essentially had four timeouts if you include the two-minute warning. Time would be of no issue with the defense getting the job done. On the ensuing drive, they had the Buccaneers in a third-down situation, right where they wanted them. Unfortunately, an untimely pass-interference call gave Tampa a fresh set of downs, and essentially, the NFC title.

And don’t get me wrong. This game doesn’t hang on the shoulders of Matt LeFleur alone. There were many moments that impacted the final result of this game. Kevin King allowed a huge touchdown to Scotty Miller at the end of the first half. The Green Bay offense didn’t capitalize on three Tom Brady interceptions. An Aaron Jones fumble led to a Tampa Bay touchdown. Many plays altered this game, but LaFleur’s decision sealed the deal on Green Bay’s fate.

There’s one rule that all sports seem to respect: stick with the hot hand. This game’s hottest hand was inevitable MVP Aaron Rodgers. Aaron Rodgers’s late-game heroics have become part of his schtick. It’s almost inevitable, like a late January snow at Lambeau Field. In the end, he never even got a chance. LaFleur’s decision to take the ball out of the MVP’s hand and kick a field goal was a three-point dagger in the hearts of Packers fans and their larger Lombardi Trophy aspirations.