Getty Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers speaks with head coach Matt LaFleur during the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on January 19, 2020 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Sunday’s thrilling overtime win against the Dallas Cowboys was intensely emotional for the Green Bay Packers, in more ways than one.
Blood was up and tensions were high as the Packers failed to convert a third-down play late in the fourth quarter with the score tied at 13-13. Following the play, cameras caught quarterback Aaron Rodgers barking at head coach Matt LaFleur in heated fashion as he ran to the sidelines.
Bleacher Report posted video of the altercation on Twitter shortly after it occurred.
Aaron Rodgers was HEATED with Matt Lafleur
(via @NFLonFOX)
Rodgers was asked during the postgame press conference what had him so angry on the sidelines.
“Just every single play call, probably,” Rodgers responded bluntly.
LaFleur Takes Responsibility for Packers’ Late-Game Missteps
GettyQB Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers celebrates after a play during overtime against the Dallas Cowboys at Lambeau Field on November 13, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Rodgers added that typically in late-game situations like the one Green Bay faced against Dallas on Sunday, the quarterback himself would have been in control of the offense’s direction.
“I feel like we were like 30 yards from ending the game in regulation. I also felt like it was two minutes so I was gonna be calling those [plays], and I was in a pretty good rhythm,” Rodgers said.
“Obviously, I didn’t have a ton of attempts tonight, but felt like I was in a pretty good rhythm,” the quarterback continued. “I felt like I threw the ball just about exactly where I wanted to tonight, and I wanted a chance to go win the game.”
The Packers received the ball at their own 33-yard line with one minute, 38 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter following a Cowboys punt. The team ran RB Aaron Jones off of the left guard for two yards on first down, off of the right tackle for seven yards on second down, then called a pass play for Rodgers on third down. Unable to find anyone open down field, Rodgers chose to throw the ball away.
LaFleur also addressed the fourth-quarter confrontation with his QB, as well as Rodgers’ general frustrations with the way the Green Bay coaching staff managed the last two minutes of the game. The Packers head coach admitted that “indecision” on his part led to sloppiness and to an overtime period the Packers might have been able to avoid.
“A lot of times when we get in those situations, we give Aaron a lot of freedom to run the show. Today, he [did] a great job with it. So hindsight is 20/20,” LaFleur said. “That’s on me.”
Packers Breathe Sigh of Relief After Snapping 5-Game Losing Streak
GettyHead coach Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers reacts during the first half against the Dallas Cowboys at Lambeau Field on November 13, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
As tense as things were in a tight game Green Bay desperately needed to keep its playoff hopes alive, the locker room after the team snapped a five-game losing streak was equally as jovial.
“It’s hard not to get emotional after that game. Where we’ve been, that was a long stretch. It felt like forever ago since we won a game,” LaFleur told reporters. “It means a lot to us. To be down and fight and continue to fight, that’s what you want to see.”
The Packers erased a 28-14 deficit in the final stanza, the first time in 195 games that the Cowboys lost after holding a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter. Now at 4-6, Green Bay must turn around on a short week and defeat the Tennessee Titans at Lambeau Field on Thursday night to try and keep pace for a Wildcard berth in the NFC.