GREEN BAY - Matt LaFleur didn’t need much time after the game to see the problem, and he didn’t need the next day to confirm it either. The Packers had too many chances in the red zone and kept settling for field goals, a pattern that eventually left the coach willing to gamble on fourth-and-1 instead of taking another three points.
“Anytime in this league, if you kick enough field goals,” LaFleur said, “you’re able to get beat. That’s essentially what happened.
We kicked too many field goals when we had opportunities. We didn’t take advantage of short fields at times.”
That frustration was building all afternoon. By the fourth quarter, Green Bay had already turned two red-zone trips into field goals, and another possession that began at Minnesota’s 36-yard line ended with nothing because penalties derailed it.
When Trey Smack drilled a 40-yard field goal early in the fourth, his fourth of the day, the Packers were still only up eight. Smack’s missed extra point after Green Bay’s opening touchdown had already kept the margin from growing, but the bigger issue was the offense leaving points behind.
So when the Vikings were flagged for offside, LaFleur sent the offense back out for fourth-and-1. Jordan Love’s sneak was stuffed, Minnesota answered with a go-ahead touchdown, and Green Bay never got the lead back.
LaFleur said Monday that he stood by the decision.
“Just trying to push it to a two-score game,” LaFleur said Sept. 14. “When you’re up two scores, that changes the whole complexion of the game.”
He added: “Typically, I would say, we’re going to be much more aggressive and go for it on fourth-and-1. I think over the history of us running QB sneaks, we’ve been pretty successful. But unfortunately it didn’t work out.”
There was one other offensive note from the day that stood out: Tucker Kraft played more than expected in his return from a torn ACL. The Packers had planned to limit the recently extended tight end to no more than 40 snaps in Minnesota, but he ended up on the field for 45, which was 66% of the snaps. Kraft caught three of his six targets for 65 yards.
“That was probably five more snaps than anybody in the building wanted him to go,” LaFleur said. “We were going to cap him at 40.
Somehow, (tight ends coach) John Dunn got it done to get five more snaps out of him, but I thought he did a great job. I don’t think he was gassed or anything like that.
He’s in phenomenal shape, and he’s really put a lot of time and effort into this (rehab).”
LaFleur also pushed back on the idea that rookie cornerback Brandon Cisse should carry the blame for Justin Jefferson’s 39-yard touchdown in the end zone. On the play, the Vikings were trying to bait Green Bay into an offside penalty and were willing to let the clock run toward the 2-minute warning if nobody bit. Once Lukas Van Ness crossed the line of scrimmage, Carson Wentz threw the ball up to Jefferson, who beat Cisse in single coverage and came down with it.
“I don’t even put that touchdown on him,” LaFleur said. “I know he’s in coverage right there, but that’s one of those plays that is absolutely killer.
We’ve got to be more aware of the moment. I mean, it’s a no-snap, no-play for the offense.
They’re just trying to draw you offsides for the 2-minute warning, and we have a guy who jumps offsides, and the quarterback just throws it up, and Jefferson makes a hell of a play.
“Those types of plays, when they happen in the game, they get you beat.”
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