After two statement wins to start the regular season, the Green Bay Packers were served a piece of humble pie on Sunday as they fell to the Cleveland Browns 13-10. This game was a reminder that every opponent has to be taken seriously, even though Green Bay's Super Bowl buzz was very much warranted over the first two weeks.
One player who got caught up in the hype was left tackle Rasheed Walker, as he talked about this Packers team going undefeated, which Micah Parsons quickly backed up, before Sunday's loss. Suffice it to say, these comments made their way to head coach Matt LaFleur, and he's not happy.
LaFleur Clearly Unhappy with Rasheed Walker's 'Undefeated' Comments
"The goal—and I've said it a million times to you guys, I don't think I've said it enough to our team—is to go 1-0 every week," LaFleur said, via Zach Jacobson of 247Sports. "It pisses me off that we start talking about things outside of the next game."
Walker and Parsons did not follow this approach leading up to Green Bay's Week 3 matchup, and it burned them. While Walker's comments were not the reason why the Packers came up short against the Browns, they did provide Cleveland with some added motivation to get the job done.
LaFleur certainly needed to take this opportunity to make his point loud and clear, even if he noted it's something he's told his players before. The coach struck an admirable balance here of putting pressure on the guys involved without directly naming them, which could be seen as him doing them a favor, rather than drawing more attention or giving fans someone to target.
The most important thing for this group is to move forward, as Week 4 will present another matchup against a team that would love nothing more than to best the Packers. With a trip to the Lone Star State on the horizon, the best thing LaFleur can do is be the leader who rallies this team together and ensures that Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys don't disrespect Parsons during the contest the same way they are leading up to the matchup.