LaFleur, Vrabel Downplay Late Bomb

With the Tennessee Titans leading by two scores with 2 minutes to go, Matt LaFleur's old boss, Mike Vrabel, aired it out.

Author:
Bill Huber
Updated:
Nov 18, 2022 8:30 AM EST
Original:
Nov 18, 2022

In this story:

Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – With 2:04 remaining in the game, the Tennessee Titans needed one first down to officially beat the Green Bay Packers.

Titans coach Mike Vrabel went for more than a first down. He went for a touchdown. Ryan Tannehill aired it out and hit rookie receiver Treylon Burks for a gain of 51 yards to the 5 against unsuspecting Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander. The Titans then ran out to clock to wrap up a 27-17 victory on Thursday night.

“Yeah, you know, move the ball down the field. Go up on a 50/50 ball and come down with it in a critical time was great,” Vrabel said.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur was Vrabel’s offensive coordinator in 2018. The Titans finished 27th in scoring and 25th in total offense that season. Reports suggest Vrabel, unhappy with the state of the offense, was considering a change at coordinator. And that change happened when the Packers hired LaFleur as their coach.

At least publicly, LaFleur took no offense to his former boss’ unnecessary deep pass.

“You’ve got to stop it,” LaFleur said.

“It was a situation where there was 2:04 when they took over, so you do get a free play to either run it or throw it because the 2-minute’s going to be right after,” LaFleur said. “So, I don’t think much of it. It’s just we’ve got to stop it. If you don’t want it to happen, stop it.”

The Packers’ beleaguered defense didn’t stop many of Tannehill’s attempts. He destroyed a leaky secondary with 22-of-27 passing for 333 yards and two touchdowns.

Including the late bomb to Burks, Tannehill completed five passes that gained 30-plus yards. The Packers had zero.

“You would have to ask them,” Tannehill said when asked if he thought the Packers were surprised. “We were going to have to get a first down in order to run out the clock with the clock stopping at the 2-minute warning. I had a one-on-one look out there with Treylon and I was able to give him a chance, and Treylon made the play. I love to see it.”