The Green Bay Packers suffered a tough loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last week, thanks in part to two red-zone drives that stalled out just a few yards from the end zone. Speaking to the media on Thursday, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur acknowledged the red-zone struggles.
Matt LaFleur talking red-zone struggles from last Thursday: “Definitely should’ve tried to run the ball a little more down there. I think that would’ve alleviated some problems.”
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) October 3, 2019
According to LaFleur (via The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman), the Packers probably would have been better served running the ball at least a couple of times on their two drives. Instead of attempting to run against a stout Eagles defensive line, the Packers instead passed much more, which resulted in one drive ending in a turnover on downs, and the other with an interception that essentially ended the game.
Although the Packers had trouble running the ball all game, and LaFleur was criticized because of his attempts to do so on first down, it still likely would’ve been smart to try in the red-zone.
Running back Aaron Jones has been a force on the goal line, and he had already scored from inside the five-yard line once in the game. Of course, hindsight is 20/20, but it is good to see the Packers coach acknowledge the mistakes regardless.
The Packers will now look to bring their corrected mistakes into Dallas, as they’re set to take on the 3-1 Cowboys in a meeting between two of the NFCs strongest teams. The Packers will likely be without both wide receiver Davante Adams and cornerback Kevin King, so it wouldn’t be too shocking to see the team once again try and establish the running game as a means to control the clock.
This time around, once they’re in the red-zone, expect to see much more running back usage.
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