One of the Green Bay Packers’ most pressing concerns coming off their Week 5 bye is the performance of the special teams unit. The performance from Green Bay’s special teams unit thus far has been under the microscope, and rightfully so, not only by the fans but also by head coach Matt LaFleur.
The Packers' head coach was asked about Rich Bisaccia’s unit during the bye and didn’t give the most glowing endorsement. If anything, LaFleur was applying pressure to the special teams coordinator, as his group has played an instrumental role in their last two games against the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys.
On Wednesday, LaFleur was asked by reporters about Bisaccia’s group and their issues, and he didn’t mince words when addressing the team's struggles in that particular area.
“We haven't executed it well enough, obviously. We got punked," he said regarding Green Bay giving up “catastrophic” plays, via Ryan Wood of USA Today.
LaFleur elaborated further on the Packers’ special teams issues, via Jason B. Hirschhorn of The Leap, saying that you can’t give those “catastrophic” plays up because they make “such a big impact on the game of football.”
Matt LaFleur Getting Tired of Packers’ Special Teams Allowing Big Plays
The Packers' head coach is not wrong for calling out the obvious with Bisaccia’s unit, as those big plays allowed by his players are directly linked to a loss and a tie on Green Bay's record.
In their Week 3 loss to the Browns, veteran kicker Brandon McManus had his 43-yard field goal attempt, which would’ve given Green Bay a three-point lead, blocked with just under 30 seconds remaining in regulation. The Packers' breakdown in protection, which fell on Bisaccia, opened the door for the Browns to do something they had yet to accomplish this season: win a game.
Cleveland did not waste its newfound opportunity as Browns kicker Andre Szymyt nailed a game-winning field goal of his own from 55 yards away as time expired to send Green Bay home with a loss.
If that wasn’t bad enough to put Bisaccia on the hot seat, McManus had his extra point blocked in the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4. And that was returned by Dallas for two points. At the time, it didn’t seem like a big deal, but it was the momentum swing that Dallas needed to get back into the game, and the Packers had to settle for a tie.
That said, coming out of the bye, Bisaccia’s unit has to be perfect moving forward. This starts on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. If there’s a blocked field goal, a missed field goal, or a muffed punt return, Green Bay fans will immediately blame Bisaccia, and they would not be wrong.
The Packers play in one of the toughest divisions in football, and cannot afford any slip-ups because of it. Another miscue could end up costing Bisaccia his job, whose special teams unit was ranked 30th, according to PFF, after Week 4.