Matt LaFleur has an unexpected suggestion for Jordan Love after the Packers watch Dak Prescott get multiple calls
The Packers head coach pointed to the Lukas Van Ness penalty on third down and questioned how officials protected Jordan Love on Sunday night.
The Green Bay Packers beat the Dallas Cowboys 23-13 on “Sunday Night Football,” but the officiating left a sour taste. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott drew three roughing the passer penalties, and Packers head coach Matt LaFleur did not hold back when asked about some of these calls during his press conference on Monday.
Especially the flags on Van Ness and Evan Williams were questionable at best, while the Karl Brooks’ one was fairer. LaFleur’s issue, though, goes beyond the individual calls. It is about how the officials applied the standard to both quarterbacks in the same game.
“At the end of the day, you just want it to be called both ways,” LaFleur said. “If they’re going to call it one way, it should be called for the other team as well. I feel like there have been a lot of times when Jordan’s taken some hits that were close to drawing a penalty, but he’s not getting the calls.”
One play stood out above the others. On a third down, edge defender Lukas Van Ness barely touched Prescott. The contact was little more than a shove, but the officials threw the flag anyway.
The penalty gave the Cowboys 15 yards and an automatic first down. Instead of forcing a punt, Green Bay watched Dallas keep the drive alive. And the Packers were clearly not happy with how it played out.
A question of consistency
LaFleur offered a measured take on the broader topic. If the NFL sets criteria for roughing the passer and builds those rules around player safety, coaches will understand and adjust. The complaint is consistency. LaFleur feels the calls are not being made the same way within a single game. In his view, quarterback Jordan Love is not getting the same protection from officials that other quarterbacks receive, and the Cowboys game was a clear example of that.
“I think he needs to be more of an a-hole to the officials and lobby for some of those calls. You see some guys do it, and it works, so…” LaFleur said.
The coach essentially floated the idea that Love could be slightly more aggressive toward the officials and demand those calls. It came across as a half joke. At the same time, there is a real point behind it.
Other quarterbacks around the league have been vocal with officials, and it has worked for them. LaFleur potentially wants Love to take a similar approach, speaking up in his interactions with the referees to make sure the contact he absorbs gets noticed. That would mean Love advocating for himself the way his peers already do.
Those penalties are truly meaningful during the games
Love has taken a lot of hits this season. Part of that comes from the issues the Packers have had along the offensive line, which is a separate problem the coaching staff has to solve on its own.
But if some of those hits turn into 15-yard penalties, the results of those plays look very different. A sack or a hurried incompletion becomes a fresh set of downs.
In this game, the frustration at least did not cost the Packers on the scoreboard, and the win improved Green Bay to 4-2. Still, LaFleur’s comments make it clear he believes his quarterback deserves the same treatment Prescott received on Sunday night.
