As Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur works to determine what went wrong in 2022, he should begin in the month of August when he chose to treat the pre-season like a joke.
Treating the pre-season as off-limits for most front-line players led to blowout losses to the Saints in 2021 and the rival Vikings in 2022.
In each of those games, the Packers were out-played, out-coached and ill-prepared.
In 2021, the Packers recovered and won the NFC North going away. This season, the Packers missed the playoffs by one game.
Matt LaFleur’s unwarranted hubris during the month of August hurt the Packers in week-one and is part of the reason the Packers are not preparing for the post-season.
Every game matters. Every win matters.
In the NFL, you can’t take any game for granted.
LaFleur’s willingness to sacrifice week-one against the Vikings was the wrong decision at the time and looks even more foolish today.
Treat the pre-season like a joke and sometimes the joke is on you.