Cheesehead
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- Mar 19, 2019
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“There’s a lot to improve upon,” LaFleur said. “You never want to give up those big plays that allow a team to come back so quickly, and that’s what happened there.”
Indeed, the Cowboys hit touchdown passes of 40 and 53 yards when longer drives would have bled a lot more clock. The Packers also gave up four other chunk plays of 20-plus yards and committed several penalties that helped the Cowboys along.
That was the biggest issue bugging LaFleur, but right behind it was the Packers’ offensive performance on third down. They went 3-for-12, including none for their last five when penalties and negative plays once again created too many difficult situations.
“Right now we’re not getting it done on third down,” he said, explaining that third-and-6 or less is what he categorizes as manageable, because so much of the playbook is available. “Our Achilles heel is when something goes a little bit bad … it’s tough sledding.”
So, the Packers know what they need to work on. But there’s also plenty of confidence they’ll get those issues turned around.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers spent a good portion of his postgame remarks lauding the chemistry this Packers team possesses – a togetherness that speaks to how they keep battling through a game like Sunday when injuries are ravaging the lineup and all the momentum is swinging the other way.
It’s that same element that will help the Packers fix what ails them over the course of a long season.
“We’re just a more connected team this year,” Rodgers said. “We’re enjoying each other more, we like each other more, …
“The locker room is a raucous environment, whether it’s a Monday or whether it’s right after a big win. I just think guys really play for each other. They have that chemistry because of the leadership we have that maybe we’ve been lacking the last couple years.”