The Green Bay Packers entered Week 9 as three-point road underdogs at Foxborough. They responded by taking down the New England Patriots in one of the most dominant performances of the Matt LaFleur era.
Once again, they struggled to run the ball, but Jordan Love's MVP-caliber play was there to save the day. As usually happens when he's an underdog, LaFleur was aggressive right out of the gate, and this time, he never took his foot off the gas.
Maybe he's finally learning from his mistakes, but Jordan Love knows better than to take any chances. That's why, following the game, he sent LaFleur a clear message about how he should maintain this approach.
The Packers must stay aggressive in the passing game
“I love being aggressive. I love the way Matt [LaFleur] called the game tonight,” Love said.
LaFleur can't afford to ignore or forget this message. He's an elite offensive play-caller when he's confident and aggressive, but he can also be vanilla, predictable, stagnant, and borderline infuriating to watch when he's trying to protect a lead.
His overly conservative play-calling in games he's favored to win or is leading by double digits is just infuriating to watch. Those run-run-pass sequences have never worked, and every decent defensive coordinator in the league catches up to his tendencies right out of the gate.
That wasn't the case at Gillette Stadium. The Packers pushed the ball early and often, and the Patriots' secondary didn't seem to have an answer for anything the Packers threw their way. Even an elite player like Christian Gonzalez, the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history, looked like a deer in headlights when trying to keep up with the Packers' playmakers.
A good coach adjusts and adapts to his personnel, and not the other way around. Jordan Love is a gunslinger, a pocket specialist who needs to let the ball rip and push it downfield. He's not a checkdown specialist or someone who'll be happy with just handing off the ball 25 times a game.
The Packers can't run the ball. They can't. The offensive line can't run-block, and the running back room lacks vision. So, why not use the two vertical threats you have in the wide receiver room and the sniper you have under center?
This is the type of offense that favors Jordan Love's strengths. Moreover, it keeps defenses guessing, and the risk-reward potential with those deep shots on every drive is definitely worth it. It took him much longer than it should've, but it feels like LaFleur has finally figured it out.
But just in case he doesn't, his quarterback wants to make sure he doesn't stray from what's working.
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