Matt LaFleur didn’t exactly hide his frustration with the officiating in the Packers’ 20-17 loss to the Lions, but he also stopped short of turning his postgame availability into a full-blown complaint session.
The game itself was packed with flags, and Green Bay took the brunt of it. The Packers were hit with eight penalties for 81 yards, while Detroit cashed in on a few crucial calls down the stretch, including a roughing-the-passer decision that drew plenty of attention.
One of the biggest flashpoints came earlier, when LaFleur was caught on camera reacting angrily to a call against Packers defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt for unnecessary roughness. In the moment, LaFleur made it clear he disagreed with the ruling.
Afterward, he said the officials “tried to tell me the play was obviously dead" during that exchange. LaFleur’s issue, at least in that moment, was that he said there was no whistle on Wyatt.
Still, when he got to the podium, LaFleur kept his comments measured. Rather than unloading on the crew, he chose a more restrained line on the whole mess.
"I don't even want to comment on it, the penalties," LaFleur said. "It is what it is.
You gotta play above it. I thought there were some tough calls, but it is what it is."
LaFleur also said he "didn't get many explanations throughout the entire game" on the penalties. Even if he looked irritated, he didn’t go much further than that.
Instead, his focus turned to what comes next: a Thursday night matchup against the Carolina Panthers. The loss is on the books, the penalties aren’t getting erased, and LaFleur seemed intent on moving on rather than spending the night relitigating every call.
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