3 reasons Packers lost NFC Championship to Buccaneers

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 24: Head coach Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers speaks to the referees during a review in the fourth quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the NFC Championship game at Lambeau Field on January 24, 2021 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

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DETROIT, MICHIGAN – DECEMBER 13: Head coach Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers talks with Davante Adams #17 of the Green Bay Packers before their game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on December 13, 2020 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /

1. Playcalling

The Packers’ playcalling–on both sides of the ball-was absolutely brutal in this contest. First, defensive coordinator Mike Pettine may have coached his last game and it was a poor way to go out. Pettine gave up a critical touchdown to end the first half thanks to a poor defensive play call.

Packers: Instant takeaways from NFC Championship loss. dark. Next

Matt LaFleur, a coach who preaches keeping your foot on the gas, played scared in this one and made a highly-questionable, highly-criticized decision at the end of the game. The Packers had the best red-zone scoring offense in the history of the NFL, yet LaFleur decided to kick a field goal in an eight-point game with just over two minutes remaining and never got the ball back to his offense. The decision to take the ball out of the soon-to-be MVP Rodgers’ hands and place it in the defense is an awful call.

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