Packers 13, Panthers 16: Matt LaFleur Failed to Prepare His Football Team (Again)

Photo Credit: Evan Siegle, packers.com

Nothing went right for the Packers on Sunday in their disgusting loss to the Panthers. On top of everything that happened, Tucker Kraft is officially out for the season after suffering a torn ACL. Absolutely brutal.



From missed field goals to penalties and poor game management, this team was not prepared and didn’t deserve to win this game. This feels like the last straw. Obviously, the Packers aren’t dumb enough to fire a head coach in the middle of the season (that would be irresponsible). Still, Matt LaFleur needs to take a long look in the mirror after this one and rethink how he’s handling this football team.


Year after year, we’ve seen the same problems under Matt LaFleur’s Packers: poor special teams, horrific game management, nonsensical play-calling, and endless penalties in key moments. I don’t understand this guy. He gets his teams ready for big games and they’re usually competitive, but against inferior opponents? It’s as if the team doesn’t practice or take things seriously the entire week.


The Packers have been a high-variance team all season. The highs have been high, and the lows have been low. Ultimately, that falls back on coaching. LaFleur is the head coach and is responsible for how prepared this team is each week. Going for it on 4th-and-8 was arguably the dumbest decision of LaFleur’s career, and it ultimately cost the Packers the game because he didn’t take the points.


The players aren’t off the hook either. The Packers’ defense couldn’t get off the field in the first half, allowing the offense to possess the ball only three times. Micah Parsons was a complete no-show with zero pressures, but where was everyone else? Letting Bryce Young drive down the field in the fourth quarter to set up a game-winning field goal is something I didn’t think was possible with this version of the Packers’ defense.



Offensively, what a putrid effort. I don’t even know what to say. The Packers’ makeshift offensive line with Elgton Jenkins at center just isn’t working. Josh Jacobs had a solid game, but the line committed a million penalties. The team was able to move the ball but hit a brick wall every time they got into the red zone. It’s funny how we all knew how this game was going to turn out after the Savion Williams fumble on the offense’s opening drive.


The Tucker Kraft injury is devastating to this offense. His breakout season gave this team hope that they had a true number-one target they could always rely on. The offense isn’t totally dead yet, but losing a guy like Kraft is going to affect how they operate going forward.


The offense still has Jordan Love and Josh Jacobs. Add in a couple of injured guys like Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks, and the Packers are back to their regular plethora of weapons. If the Kraft injury means anything, it should mean this: get Matthew Golden the dang ball. There’s no reason he and Christian Watson shouldn’t be getting targets early and often for the rest of the season.


This loss sucks. It feels like all hope is lost. Yet, somehow, they still lead the NFC North. 


The Packers have a big matchup on Monday Night Football against another NFC contender, the Philadelphia Eagles. If this team somehow wins that game, I’ll be all the way back in on this team. Be wary though, this team is young but needs to grow up quickly. Matt LaFleur has to make sure of that, both for the success of this team and for his own future as head coach of the Green Bay Packers.



Real Packer Fans Know🧀

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Green Bay Packers 2025 NFL Draft Recap

Image
                Ladies and gentlemen, here is your 2025 Green Bay Packers NFL Draft Recap. First off, you gotta hand the city of Green Bay their flowers. The city did not disappoint at all hosting the NFL Draft for the first time ever. 600,00 football guys and girls made their way up to Lambeau Field for one of the most iconic drafts of all time. The highlight of the draft easily was Packers CEO Mark Murphy announcing the team’s first-round selection, Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden. The pop that he got when announced was something straight out of 90s WWF. THE DROUGHT IS OVER 📺: NFL Draft on NFL Network April 24-26 pic.twitter.com/hFJFTh3jZv — Green Bay Packers (@packers) April 25, 2025 Now let’s grade the Packers draft because that’s what everyone is doing at this point. Disclaimer! I am not a college football expert whatsoever. I am grading this draft based of the Packers needs, vibes, and maybe a little bit of bias. Matthew Golden Gol...
Read more

The Green Bay Packers Top 5 NEEDS This Offseason

Image
There’s been a lot of talk about what the Packers need personnel wise going into next season. The big question is what do they need most? Some would argue a pass rusher or two considering the team that just won the Super Bowl didn’t blitz once. Others would say a true number one receiver to make the clutch plays when the Packers need them. There’s plenty of valid excuses for each position that needs to be improved upon going into next season. As for Real Packer Fans Know, here are the top five NEEDS the Packers have going into next season from least to most important.              5. Linebacker                    Before you say it, yes, Edgerrin Cooper is a DAWG. He is a star in the making and the best draft pick the Packers made from last season. Other than Cooper, the Packers could use another run stopper across the middle of the field. ...
Read more

The Packers Can't Beat a Good Team. Now They're Playing with House Money in the Playoffs Again

Image
Evan Siegle, packers.com No embedded tweets in this blog, folks. Just straight heat surrounding our beloved Green Bay Packers. Another hole dug too deep, and another comeback that started too late. Nothing new from the Packers after the loss to the Vikings on Sunday. I thought the Packers had a chance to steal this one, and they did give themselves a shot at the end of the game. But it didn’t matter. They never deserved to be in the game from the beginning. You can go on and on about the things this team needs to do to be better. The main thing is, they just make too many mistakes. Drops on offense. I mean, Jayden Reed has fallen off the face of the earth, the true definition of all or nothing. The Packers have no passing offense right now compared to the end of last season. Obviously, they are run-first thanks to Josh Jacobs, but there was absolutely no passing game until they ran tempo against the Vikings' prevent defense in the fourth quarter. Jordan Love had about 64 passin...
Read more