The Green Bay Packers cruised to a 30-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football, their first win in the Emerald City since 2008. Still, Matt LaFleur’s choices in the red zone, on challenges, and with this second-half play-calling left me wondering why he’s suddenly become cautious.
On Sunday, Green Bay jumped to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Two long drives with good execution ended in touchdowns from wideout Romeo Doubs and running back Josh Jacobs.
From there on out, the Packers kicked three-straight field goals, two in the red zone. They came away with points on all of the drives in the second half. Still, they should have scored more than 20 points before halftime.
LaFleur’s hesitancy first manifested when the officials called Seahawks defensive back Tariq Woolen for defensive pass interference, putting the ball at Seattle’s three-yard line.
With four seconds remaining before halftime, the Packers lined up to run one more play, a shot at a touchdown to make the game 24-3. The Packers also had one more timeout, giving them flexibility for a run or pass. Instead, they tried to draw Seattle’s defense offsides and didn’t run a play.
Maybe the extra yard and a half they would gain from a Seattle penalty would make it easier. Still, that’s not enough for a Jordan Love tush push in under four seconds. So why not run a quick play to the sideline or run the ball with a timeout in your pocket?
I understand the argument for trying to bank the points on the extra possession Carrington Valentine gifted them with his interception, but why not go for the touchdown there? You can kick the field goal if it doesn’t work out on a quick play. In this situation, the Packers could have had their cake and eaten it too.
Green Bay’s offense went flat in the second half. They only mustered a field goal on six second-half drives before a Romeo Doubs touchdown. That included a fumble and a turnover on downs.
The Packers offense’s faultiness in the second half is a strange development for a team that has scored 30-plus points in the last four games.
“The couple drives before that, we just felt like we weren’t getting much out of it,” Love said. “We weren’t executing at that high level and making those plays we were making.”
“To kind of have some of those drives stall out and then to put a drive down the field and finish with that touchdown out there — Romeo making a great catch — definitely helps you be able to breathe a little bit better.”
LaFleur has also struggled with challenges. He tends to find an emotional point in a game where the Packers could use the momentum and throw the flag in a moment that won’t go his way. LaFleur is now 0-6 on challenges this season, bringing his career average down to 47%.
His most recent challenge came on a Josh Jacobs fumble in the second half. The Packers had struggled up to that point in the third quarter, and it was a momentum swing that Green Bay could have used. However, the missed challenge helped Seattle.
The play was obviously a fumble, and LaFleur threw the flag anyway, burning a timeout and giving more life to the Seahawks when they desperately needed it. Five plays and 1:28 in-game clock later, and Seattle scored to make it a two-score game in the third quarter.
LaFleur seems to be letting his fear control the game and is preventing the Packers from winning these games by a wider margin. It was not a big deal against Seattle. However, teams that won’t turn the ball over as much and have stiffer defenses will make the Packers pay for the passive and emotional nature.
All stats and data via ESPN and the Green Bay Packers unless otherwise noted.