Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur gave a rather strange answer when asked about the status of defensive coordinator Joe Barry following his team’s 34-20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 15.
It was just the latest shoddy performance for the Packers’ defense, which ranks just 22nd in the NFL this season. Green Bay surrendered 452 total yards to a Buccaneers offense that ranks 23rd in the league.
Afterward, LaFleur addressed the situation with Barry.
“Right now, we’re looking for solutions,” LaFleur said, via the Packers’ official team website. “So, I want to go back to it. As soon as we leave here, I am going to go right into my office and get to work on that. Because, like I said, it is extremely disappointing to have a home game against a team that is right in the thick of it in their division when you’re holding onto one of those spots and, you know, you get manhandled in the second half of a tight ballgame. It’s extremely disappointing.”
The Packers were behind 13-10 at halftime but were outscored 21-10 over the final 30 minutes in a loss that may have been a death blow to the club’s playoff hopes.
LaFleur added that he was not very happy with the lack of adjustments in the second half.
“Hindsight is 20-20,” Matt LaFleur said. “Absolutely. We’ve got to challenge much better on the back end, in terms of — I get it, they’ve got some good wideouts. But you’ve got to be willing to challenge, especially if you’re just getting gashed. I’ll go back and take a peek at it.”
However, when asked if he would be considering an in-season change at defensive coordinator, LaFleur said that it was “not the time for that.”
Green Bay fell to 6-8 with its loss to Tampa Bay and will take on the Carolina Panthers next Sunday. It will then battle the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears to close out the regular season.
Barry has been the Packers’ defensive coordinator since 2021, and the results have gotten worse with each passing year. Whether that’s a personnel problem or Barry’s fault is up for debate, but it’s hard to imagine that Green Bay will be that much more patient with the coaching staff.
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