Will Packers Coach Matt LaFleur Fire Joe Barry After Loss to Buccaneers?
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Following the Green Bay Packers’ 34-20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a game in which defensive coordinator Joe Barry’s unit made Baker Mayfield look like Tom Brady, only one question mattered.
Would coach Matt LaFleur consider change at defensive coordinator and fire Barry, whom he hired in 2021 despite a lackluster track record?
“Now’s not the time for that, to be honest with you,” LaFleur said.
Why not?
“Because now’s not the time,” LaFleur replied. “I’m trying to find solutions and I’ve got to go back and take a look at the film.”
Maybe LaFleur is prepared to play the final three games with Barry. Maybe he needs a moment to collect his thoughts and go over the calls and the film.
Whatever LaFleur’s line of thinking, the defense’s ghastly performances against Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito on Monday night and Mayfield on Sunday have to have the third-year coordinator on thin ice.
It doesn’t get much uglier than this:
- Mayfield completed 22-of-28 passes for 381 yards and four touchdowns. That means Mayfield had almost as many touchdown passes as incompletions.
- Mayfield became the third player in NFL history with 375 passing yards, four touchdowns and a perfect passing rating in NFL history.
- That perfect 158.3 rating marked only the second time that’s happened in Lambeau Field history. Aaron Rodgers did it against the Raiders in 2019.
- Among visiting quarterbacks who threw 15 passes in a game at Lambeau, the previous highest rating was Nick Foles’ 149.3 in 2013.
- Among those same visiting quarterbacks, Mayfield’s 13.6 yards per attempt was more than 2 yards better than any other passer.
- His yardage total was the second-highest of his career, trumped only by his 397 yards as a rookie against Houston. He threw three interceptions in that game.
- Mayfield needed only three quarters to set his season high in passing yards.
- After completing less than 50 percent of his passes in back-to-back wins entering Sunday, Mayfield completed 78.6 percent against Green Bay.
- With the Browns in 2021 and the Rams in 2022, Mayfield threw or a total of 333 yards with five interceptions.
Mayfield didn’t have to be great. In fact, there weren’t many “Oh, wow” types of throws. When he had time, he surveyed the defense and found his man. Chris Godwin caught 10 passes; frequently, the closest man in coverage was a linebacker.
“We’ve got to challenge much better, I’d say, in the back end,” LaFleur said. “I get it, they got some good wideouts, but you’ve got to be willing to challenge, especially if you’re getting gashed, just changing it up. I’ll go back and take a peek at it right after we’re done here.”
On the opening touchdown to Mike Evans, cornerback Eric Stokes appeared to be seeking help from Rudy Ford. On the final touchdown, Ford was signaling frantically before the snap.
“It’s all concerning when it looks like there’s some confusion going on back there,” LaFleur said. “You’ve got to be so coordinated and so in tune, really, on all three levels. Every guy plays off one another and when there’s any type of miscommunication, you get gashed and that’s what happened.
The Packers entered Sunday having given up 39 completions of more than 20 yards, which right in the middle of the pack. The previous season high was seven on Thanksgiving at Detroit, with four of those coming in the fourth quarter of the Packers led by a comfortable margin.
They gave up nine on Sunday.
“Twenty-two completions for 381 yards, I mean that’s not good enough,” LaFleur said.
Everyone knows about the amount of talent on Green Bay’s defense. With the exception of Jordan Love in 2020, every first-round pick since 2013 has been used on defense. Kenny Clark, Rashan Gary, Eric Stokes, Quay Walker, Devonte Wyatt and Lukas Van Ness started or played significant roles on Sunday; Jaire Alexander’s mysterious absence continued and Darnell Savage was inactive, as well.
Why hasn’t Barry put together a consistently strong defense?
“Again, I’m going to go back and take a look at the tape. You’ve got to give me time,” LaFleur said.
But this isn’t about this game. It’s about a season in which the Packers have been gashed repeatedly on the ground and have been saved only by what had been a strong red-zone defense.
“I’m going to just go back and look at the tape,” LaFleur said. “Thank you.”
