Matt LaFleur admits a key lesson that could play a major role for the Packers against the Eagles next week
Offense hasn’t been able to dink and dunk, and the need for explosives may be tricky due to their unpredictable nature.
Matt LaFleur was certainly not surprised by how the Carolina Panthers defended the Green Bay Packers. After all, defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero comes from the same coaching tree as former Packers DC Joe Barry, and it’s a similar defensive structure — even if better executed. However, the offense didn’t have the patience and red zone efficiency to pull off a win, scoring only 13 points at Lambeau Field.
“We thrive on some explosive plays, and when you’re not getting them, you gotta just move the ball down the field consistently,” LaFleur said after the loss on Sunday. “We’ve had penalties. We obviously had a fumble on the first drive. We had three possessions in the first half — a nine-play drive, a nine-play drive, and a ten-play drive — and we had six points. So, it’s going to be tough if we can’t figure things out and score in the red area. It’s just going to be tough to win football games like that.”
Important lesson
While the loss to the Panthers is a tough pill to swallow, the way this offense has to operate brings an impactful lesson. That’s because the Packers play the Philadelphia Eagles next week, and their defensive coordinator is Vic Fangio — the top of that same coaching tree. The Eagles will prioritize avoiding big plays, and Jordan Love will have to be able to dink and dunk down the field.
“I’m talking about myself as much as anybody, when we get into these types of games where it’s just about consistent execution, you just can’t chase the big play,” LaFleur added. “They were playing soft zone the majority of the game, making us earn and consistently move the ball. Inevitably, on almost every drive, we made a mistake.”
Just like Jordan Love did, LaFleur admitted that consistency is the key to being a better offense moving forward.
“We’ve got to be more consistent,” LaFleur explained. “We’ve got to do a better job coaching, and ultimately, we’ve got to do a better job relying on our core fundamentals, the things you work on consistently day in and day out. Otherwise, you get beat. You can’t have holding penalties. You can’t fumble the football. You’ve got to be able to tackle. You’ve got to be able to stop the run. Just base football principles. If you don’t do them well, you’re susceptible to getting beat. It doesn’t matter who you’re playing.”
The Packers are still first place in the NFC North, because the Detroit Lions also lost to the Minnesota Vikings. But the margin for error is small in the league, and the game against the Eagles on “Monday Night Football” will be a big one.
This article was originally published on A to Z Sports Green Bay, as “Matt LaFleur admits a key lesson that could play a major role for the Packers against the Eagles next week.”
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