Is the Criticism of Matt LeFleur Fair?

So it was 4th and goal on the eight-yard line with 2:09 remaining. The Green Bay Packers are trailing by eight and have three timeouts left. Packers Head Coach Matt LeFleur decides to take Aaron Rodgers off the field and kick a field goal.

For most of the second half, the Packers defense had managed to slow Tom Brady down following a first half where they struggled, highlighted by letting Scottie Miller in behind to score a TD with one second left on the clock.

AP Photo

This was inexcusable from the Packers defense as an incomplete pass there would have finished the half and the Buccaneers had no timeouts. Unless a ball was caught on the sideline, the Packers would have gone in at half time just four points down.

As it was, they went in 21-10 down at the half. The defense did improve in the second half and the offense got going to where they were in touching distance going down the stretch.

Following some poor play from Rodgers and the Packers offense, they were left with the fourth-down situation.

It’s easy for us watching from the comfort of our couch, but it really did look like Rodgers had the chance to run on it on 3rd down and get in, or if not, to be at least on the one or two-yard line.

Matt LaFleur has since taken a barrage of criticism for not going for it on 4th down and backing his QB to get in.

While he should have gone for it just to show confidence in his QB if nothing else, the criticism has been a bit overblown. Many in the media are saying that he also underestimated Tom Brady, along with Aaron Rodgers, by thinking his defense would make the stop. Previous to the field goal on the last drive, Brady had been picked off in the two drives before that, so maybe LaFleur just had confidence in his guys.

While he may have been wrong, I think that many seem to forget that the Packers defense would still have to stop Brady in the final two minutes.

If they went for it and got the TD and the two-point conversion, then the game would have been tied at 31 each, but the ball went back to Tom Brady with three timeouts and two minutes left.

History tells us that Brady would have milked the clock, forced the Packers to burn their time outs, and then set the Buccaneers up to kick the game-winning field goal as time expired. If the Packers couldn’t get the Buccaneers to a three and out as it was, what are the chances of them stopping Brady from getting into field goal range as time expired?

Afterward, Rodgers refused to throw his coach under the bus by simply saying “It’s not my call,” but didn’t exactly sing his coaches praises either by saying it was the right call.

A lot has been made of his comments straight after the game and how he feels towards the Packers organization, but people have to allow for the emotions after losing such a big game in such circumstances.

There will be no chance the Packers will allow him to be traded, and after playing to an MVP level, it’s hard to imagine him retiring.

On Tuesday, Rodgers himself said on the Pat McAfee Show that it’s a big “What If” game, and if they get the ball back and score a TD, then it’s a genius decision.

These are the quick decisions that head coaches live and die by, and unfortunately for Matt LaFleur, he will be hearing about this for a long time to come and, unless he eventually wins a Super Bowl, then probably for the rest of his life.