Matt LaFleur: Packers' Late FG in Loss to Buccaneers Felt Like 'Right Decision'

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur defended his decision to have his team attempt a field goal rather than go for a touchdown and two-point conversion that would have tied the game if successful.

The Packers trailed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-23, with 2:05 left to play. On 4th-and-goal on the Tampa Bay 8-yard line, LaFleur sent out Mason Crosby, who hit his second of two field-goal attempts to make it 31-26.  

The Packers defense failed to get the ball back, setting the stage for Tom Brady and the Bucs to advance to the Super Bowl. 

LaFleur explained the decision after the game, telling reporters (h/t ESPN's Rob Demovsky) it "felt like it was the right decision":

"Yeah, anytime it doesn't work out, you always regret it, right? It was just the circumstances of having three shots and coming away with no yards and knowing that you not only need the touchdown, but you need the 2-point [conversion]. The way I was looking at it was, we essentially had four timeouts with the two-minute warning.

"We knew we needed to get a stop, and I thought we were going to have a stop there at the end, but we got called for [defensive pass interference] and it didn't work out. I think anytime something doesn't work out, do you regret it? Sure, but we're always going to be process-driven here, and the way our defense was battling, the way our defense was playing, it felt like it was the right decision to do. It just didn't work out."

Leading up to the kick, Aaron Rodgers had thrown three incompletions to cap a nine-play, 58-yard drive that ate just 2:37 off the clock.

The defense worked Tampa Bay down to 3rd-and-4 at the Buccaneers' 37-yard line, but Packers cornerback Kevin King was whistled for pass interference, resulting in a 15-yard penalty and a first down. On the next play, which came from the Packers' 48-yard line, Green Bay committed a five-yard penalty for having too many players on the field.

The decision to kick drew questions from many viewers, including those who bet on a Packers team that entered as 3.5-point favorites:

Rodgers, who threw for 346 yards, three touchdowns and an interception and was sacked five times in the loss, said he had nothing to do with the decision to kick:

"I didn't have a decision on that one. ... I understand the thinking, above two minutes with all of our timeouts," Rodgers said. "But it wasn't my decision." 

The Buccaneers await the winner of the AFC Championship between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs.