With 2:32 left in the fourth quarter, down three points on the 29-yard line, the Green Bay Packers had a decision to make. Would they kick a field goal, a 47-yard attempt for Lucas Havrisik, who joined the team last Saturday, or would they go for it on fourth down?
Initially, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur decided to send out the field goal unit before reversing course, calling a timeout and sending back out the offense for what ended up being a pass from quarterback Jordan Love to tight end Tucker
Kraft that moved the chains. Ultimately, the Packers punched in a touchdown on that drive, giving them a four-point lead that forced the Cardinals to chase a touchdown instead of giving them the option to settle for a game-winning field goal. This decision was a key reason why Green Bay escaped the desert with a win.
When asked about why he changed his mind in that spot, here’s what LaFleur said in the post-game press conference:
“Well, when our quarterback’s coming off and I can see the disdain on his face and I looked up at the clock and saw how much time was left — it wasn’t by any means a chip shot, though Lucas has come in and done a hell of a job. So it was just one of those deals where I was like, ‘No matter what we call, this guy’s gonna make it work.’
That’s exactly what happened because we had a play called for one versus man and can it versus zone. Didn’t necessarily get the play that we wanted, but it doesn’t matter. Sometimes, when you have guys that have confidence in what they’re doing, and Tuck did a hell of a job winning on the route. Our o-line protected, and Jordan gave him a chance. That’s exactly what it took.”
Take a look at the play above. What you don’t see before this clip from the NFL’s official account is that the Packers motioned out a player into the trio of receivers at the top of the screen. According to LaFleur, the Cardinals were great about disguising their coverages, and it wasn’t until after the motion that it became clear that Arizona was playing a zone coverage scheme and not a man coverage scheme.
By that point, though, it was too late for Love to “can” into their zone-beating concept. Often, the Packers double-call their plays, giving the quarterback the ability to “can” (think trash can) the first play if a bad look presents. Coming out of a timeout, though, the play clock is just 25 seconds instead of the traditional 40 seconds, so Love only got the snap off, post-motion, with just two seconds left on the play clock.
Kraft probably got away with a little push at the top of his route, but a win is a win. I’m just glad everything worked out.
