‘Upset’ Matt LaFleur discloses the Packers ‘fully expected’ to win the playoff game against 49ers

The Green Bay Packers lost 21-24 to the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round.

‘Upset’ Matt LaFleur discloses the Packers ‘fully expected’ to win the playoff game against 49ers

Matt LaFleur (via YardBarker)

Last night, the Green Bay Packers came close to achieving the unthinkable. They were within reach of beating the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round and moving forward to the Conference Championships but one missed kick cost the team dearly. Following the game, head coach Matt LaFleur could not hold himself back as he expressed his frustration over losing this game.

In his interview after the game, LaFleur described the emotions and feelings that the Packers nation was going through with two words, “It stings.” The head coach went into the game knowing full well that his team was capable of beating the 49ers and that is what makes this loss twice as much hurtful.

YouTube video

LaFleur said:

FS Video
Part of the reason it stings so bad right now is we fully believed and fully expected to win this game. Give San Francisco credit, they made more plays in some of those critical situations down the stretch. It's a tough football team. But I felt like we had plenty of opportunities to put the game out of reach and unfortunately just didn't do enough.
LaFleur at the post-game press conference

The plenty of opportunities which he is referring to are of course the missed field goal and Jordan Love’s final pass that ultimately ended up being an interception. The pass with under one minute left to go in the game was a bizarre choice, he threw it off balance and across his body, almost like a throw Patrick Mahomes would make.

Matt LaFleur did not blame the Packers loss entirely on Anders Carlson’s missed FG kick

LaFleur further stated:

It's never one play. I'm sure a lot of it's going to come down to the missed field goal, but there's plenty of opportunities. Go back in the first half and have three red zone opportunities and have six points. There's a lot of plays out there that if one play goes differently we probably have a different result right now.
Matt LaFleur added
Matt LaFleur
Matt LaFleur (via Marca)

He believes the Packers should have executed better from the start, if they had taken advantage of opportunities early on in the first half and built up a sizeable lead like they did last week against the Dallas Cowboys, then the outcome could have been different. Addressing Anders Carlson’s missed field goal opportunity and struggles this season, LaFleur had this to say.

I don't know. I think if we had the answer we would have fixed it.
Matt LaFleur said

Despite his struggles this season, fans should note that Anders Carlson is in his rookie year. The pressure got to him and while that is frustrating because it cost the team a shot to play in the Conference Championships, it should not result in him being cut. The Packers may have lost last night but they did come very close to winning against a much experienced San Francisco 49ers team, irrespective of the manner in which the team’s season ended, the Packers should not put their heads down. The team exceeded all expectations and showed that the future is bright.

In Case You Missed It: