The Green Bay Packers are still in the bubble to contend for a playoff spot, but in order to keep themselves competitive, they have a lot of things to fix. One of those issues, as head coach Matt LaFleur highlighted, is their communication issues on defense.
During Sunday’s 30-24 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there were a number of communication issues that deterred the Packers. One instance was when cornerback Eric Stokes asked for safety help from Rudy Ford during Mike Evans’ touchdown catch in the second quarter, but Ford didn’t see his signal at all and was focused on wideout Trey Palmer.
There were a number of similar mistakes when the communication between the Packers’ defenders were just off, and LaFleur is well aware of it.
“It happens by people not talking and setting the front a certain way or making sure the safety rotation is the right way so your backers aren’t bossed over one way and you’re rolling that way. It’s just, there was way too many examples of that,” the Green Bay Packers coach said, via The Athletic.
With the issue becoming more persistent, Matt LaFleur revealed that he’s now planning to be more proactive to emphasize communication between his players. At the end of the day, if they want to win, both their offensive and defensive groups need to be at the same page.
“I’ve got to be more present with those guys in making sure that we’re all on the same page. Because, I mean, football is, if you don’t have all 11 on the same page — it obviously starts with our staff making sure all our coaches are in lockstep — but if you don’t have all 11 on the same page, it takes one guy and then everything goes to crap after that and you get exposed,” LaFleur furthered.
With just three games left on the season, the Packers will have to resolve their communication issues as soon as possible. At 6-8 so far, they can no longer afford to lose if they want to keep their postseason hopes alive.
Sure enough, they wouldn’t want their campaign to end because of silly mistakes caused by lack of communication.
Matt LaFleur’s Green Bay Packers Facing Tough Road Ahead
The last three games of the 2023 season will surely be a big test for the Green Bay Packers. After all, two teams that they will be facing are also contending for a postseason spot.
After the Carolina Panthers in Week 16, they then play the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears in Weeks 17 and 18, respectively.
Green Bay, Minnesota and Chicago are fairly close in the standings. The Vikings are at 7-7 and the Bears are at 5-8. With that being said, the games they have could end up being decided by how well they can execute.
Communication will be key for the Packers. If they can stay on the same page as Matt LaFleur said, they could be able to climb up the standings and get a wild card spot for the playoffs.
Of course that’s easier said than done, but the Packers have no choice but to be as flawless as possible.
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