Packers HC Matt LaFleur did it again, and he should receive much more love than he does
Two games without Jordan Love, two wins for the Green Bay Packers. On Sunday, a 30-14 win over the Tennessee Titans, it looked more like a normal and sustainable way of playing, including a strong passing performance for quarterback Malik Willis. That’s what Matt LaFleur is as a head coach and offensive mind, and the […]
Two games without Jordan Love, two wins for the Green Bay Packers. On Sunday, a 30-14 win over the Tennessee Titans, it looked more like a normal and sustainable way of playing, including a strong passing performance for quarterback Malik Willis.
That’s what Matt LaFleur is as a head coach and offensive mind, and the general public must give him more love. LaFleur can build different gameplans exploiting defensive weaknesses and taking advantage of what each offensive player does well, and everything is particularly impressive without his starting quarterback.
Now, there’s a good chance Love will be back next week, and the Packers are 2-1 heading into the first divisional matchup of the regular season against the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau FIeld.
Week 3 takeaways
Different gameplan
Before the start of the game, head coach Matt LaFleur told Packers Radio Network that it would be impossible to replicate the gameplan from last week against the Indianapolis Colts.
“We can open it up a little bit. We're going to have to,” LaFleur stressed. “They're going to be geared up to stop the run. Should be a lot of opportunities in the passing game."
LaFleur put his money where his mouth was, and it was in the first half. Willis had 122 passing yards against the Colts, he had 158 only in the first half versus the Titans, completing nine of 11 throws.
But that was not the only area in which Willis affected the game. Quarterback runs were a big part of the plan, and Willis ran six times before halftime, leading the team in the first half with 73 yards and a touchdown.
Being a linebacker who faces a Matt LaFleur offense is a total nightmare. The coach’s ability to move the eyes of defenders and drive the offense in another direction was evident in Emanuel Wilson’s touchdown.
After that, the offense became more conservative and predictable, which allowed the Titans defense to finally get a sequence of stops.
After all, Willis finished the game completing 13 of 19 passes for 202 yards, a touchdown, and (again) no interceptions.
Maximizing the weapons
Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs made important plays, but no other wide receiver on the roster changes a game like Jayden Reed. He had two runs and two catches in the first half, totaling 58 yards, and finished the game with 69 scrimmage yards.
But it’s impressive how LaFleur is able to maximize his pieces. If Watson didn’t have a single catch last week, he got two big plays now, totalling two receptions for 67 yards — it’s just what Watson does, big plays, and LaFleur took advantage of that ability.
Josh Jacobs wasn’t as explosive in this game as he had been in the two previous weeks, so LaFleur went with Emanuel Wilson for more elusive plays, including a 31-yard touchdown reception and several runs late in the fourth quarter to kill the clock.
Defensive style
The pass rush is still a slight concern against better competition, but it was way better against a weak Titans’ pass protection — especially from the interior, with two sacks from defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, and using blitzes to create pressure.
More than that, the scheme is built to force turnovers, and it did it again. Jaire Alexander got a pick six in a throw from Will Levis intended for DeAndre Hopkins, and Xavier McKinney became the first player in Green Bay history to have an interception in each of his three games as a Packer.
The Packers have seven interceptions in three weeks after having seven over the entire season in 2023.
The ability to create turnovers appeared again in a much-needed time in the third quarter, when the Titans were coming back. Even with backup pass rushers on the field, Kingsley Enagbare beat Nicholas Petit-Frere to sack-fumble Will Levis, and Lukas Van Ness recovered it.
One interesting factor of what Jeff Hafley has done is the return of the old Dom Capers’ Nascar Package, with four edge rushers on the field at the same time. Green Bay has not been consistent stopping opposing offenses without turnovers, but this was certainly the best game in that area.
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