Matt LaFleur could not get out of his own way on Sunday.
LaFleur and the Green Bay Packers lost their season opener to the rival Minnesota Vikings by a final score of 39-22. Despite leading 22-10 in the third quarter, Green Bay allowed Minnesota to hang 29 points unanswered on them to close out the game.
One particular decision by the Packers head coach LaFleur drew scrutiny online. During the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn., Green Bay was still clinging to a 22-17 lead.
On a 4th-and-6 play in Vikings territory, Packers kicker Trey Smack converted on a 40-yard field goal that would have given Green Bay a 25-17 advantage. However, Minnesota linebacker Dallas Turner was called for offside on the play.
Instead of simply taking the three points, LaFleur got too cute with it and accepted the five-yard penalty. That led to a 4th-and-1 for the Packers … on which they were immediately stuffed on an attempted QB sneak by Jordan Love for a turnover on downs.
With LaFleur magically turning three points into zero points there, he was deafeningly criticized over social media. Some fans even expressed a belief that LaFleur leaving points on the board was the beginning of the end for Green Bay during Sunday’s game.
Matt LaFleur took 3 points off the board to go for it on 4th down and didn’t convert pic.twitter.com/lhBoBhMrJQ
— Breton (@BretonPicks) September 13, 2026
Self-taking away those three points is looking worse and worse as time ticks down. pic.twitter.com/rjnskBekEi
— LuckyRebel (@RBLOfficial_) September 13, 2026
Does Matt LaFleur know you should NEVER take points off the board?
— Mr. Indiana (@MrInd1ana) September 13, 2026
Matt LaFleur when he found out that he's supposed to help his team put points ON the board. pic.twitter.com/2Lr0Nwq9MH
— Jake Nordstrum (@nordstrumfa) September 13, 2026
The sequence in question took place with over 13 minutes left and the Packers deep in Minnesota territory, so there was not even an argument for wasting clock in that situation by trying for a fresh set of downs. But LaFleur has been criticized many times before over his divisive game management, and that continued on Sunday with his inexplicable decision to turn down a 100 percent guaranteed three points.
