Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur has come under fire after deciding to kick a field goal with just over 2 minutes to play in the NFC Championship against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
A touch and a two-point conversion would have linked the match. A field goal would still have forced the Packers to score a touchdown if they got the ball back. LaFleur selected the field goal route from the eight of the Buccaneers and reduced Tamp Bay’s lead to five points.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
On the face of it, the Packers just needed a defensive stop, and they actually had four time-outs, as the 2-minute warning hadn’t gone off yet. Green Bay never got that stop and it appears that LaFleur took the ball out of Aaron Rodgers’ hands with a risky move that ultimately did not bear fruit.
LaFleur tried to explain the move after the game, according to the team’s website.
“I looked at the fact that we actually had four time-outs with the two-minute warning,” he said.
AARON RODGERS ‘FUTURE WITH PACKAGERS SPECULATED AFTER THE LATEST NFC CHAMPIONSHIP LOSSES
‘When you do not get something right, do you regret it? Natural.’
Rodgers also made it clear that was not his decision.
“It was not my decision. I understood the thoughts above for two minutes, but it was not my decision,” Rodgers said.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The Packers lost the second consecutive season in the NFC Championship. Rodgers’ future as Green Bay’s quarterback is also bleak, as he appears to be an intruder for MVP.