The Packers’ Matt LaFleur is making no excuses for attacking injuries in the Wild Card loss
The NFL season can end in an instant for any team, no matter how amazing of a regular season they had, and for Green Bay Packerstheir 2024 campaign was unceremoniously ended by the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL Wild Card round with a 22-10 loss. The Packers offense just couldn’t get anything going – with quarterback Jordan Love throws three picks no touchdowns while completing just 20 of his 33 passes on the night.
Love had a hard time getting the Packers offense into a rhythm all night, though it wasn’t his fault. Some of the Packers’ best weapons on that end of the field succumbed to injury, or were not even available before the game. Regardless, the head coach Matt LaFleur does not hide behind their injury-ravaged roster before the loss.
“That’s football. It’s unfortunate and I hate it for our guys who have to fight through it, but that’s football. It’s a next-man-up mentality,” LaFleur said, via Zachary Jacobson of 247 Sports.
Indeed, with football being a rough and tumble sport, injuries are simply normal. The best teams find a way to get the job done regardless of adversity, but ultimately their short offense couldn’t break through, and it didn’t help that Love was far from his best Sunday night as The Packers’ season is over.
Packers can’t overcome injury issues in loss to Eagles
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Some of the Packers’ most important players were dropping like flies on Sunday night. Two of their top wide receivers, Romeo Doubs and Jaiden Reed, fell for the injury bugwith the former sustaining a head injury and the latter sustaining a serious blow to the shoulder. All of this is in addition to the absence of Christian Watson, who suffered a season-ending knee injury earlier in the campaign.
Offensive line Elgton Jenkins and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt were as well unable to playwhile center Josh Myers had to follow Doubs and Reid, heading for his own early exit after suffering a leg injury that kept him out.
Overall, the Packers still put up a good fight, and their defense (and the Eagles’ hurting offense) kept them in the game. But if a team loses too many of its best weapons, it will always be difficult for them to reach the next round NFL playoffs.
2025-01-13 03:21:00
