Packers kneel at the 1 yard line??? WTF???

First of all I had no wager on the game......lets get that out of the way. 

Leading 24-12 with 1:39 left, the Packers had first-and-goal at the Rams' 1-yard line on Monday night, and they decided to kneel down three times to end the game, rather than score another touchdown. Packers coach Matt LaFleur said that's what he'll always do in that situation.

“I didn’t think about that. I just think there’s a way you handle winning in this league. I’ve got a lot of respect for those guys we’re competing against,” LaFleur said.

It was pointed out to LaFleur that point differential is one of the playoff tiebreakers, but LaFleur responded that playoff tiebreakers aren’t something he thinks about during a game. He also said he wasn’t bothered by the Rams using their timeouts late in the game even as there was virtually no chance of them winning.

“If I knew that was going to be the difference, certainly, you do what you’ve got to do, but I think there’s karma involved in that, and I don’t want to be about that, and I’ve got too much respect for them,” LaFleur said. “I’m not worried about that.”

The people who were worried about it were those who bet the point total on Monday night’s game: The over/under was 39.5 points, meaning the under hit, but the over would have hit if the Packers had scored another touchdown.

They are on the bubble to get in the playoffs and he is not worried about making the playoffs???

They have a 10.5% chance to make the playoffs. 

Why not increase your chances to make the playoffs? 

Teams with a better probability to get in include: 

Washington @ 34.5% with @49er's, Browns, Cowboys

Seattle @ 27.4% with @Chiefs, Jets, Rams

Carloina @ 17.5% with Lions, @Bucs, @Saints

@ValueDog

 Forgot about the Lions: 

38.1% to make the playoffs. @Panthers, Bears, @Packers

You have a better chance to win the game if you kneel down.

If you attempt to score a touchdown, you, for example, risk fumbling the ball with a handoff. Or, let's say you do score another touchdown. Well... now you have to give up the ball... and you may never get it back again. The Rams could score on the next play of their first possession... and then recover an onside kick and score again on the very next play and then recover another onside kick and score on the very next play and... well, you get the ideal.

Kneeling down and ending the game wins more often than attempting to score and continuing the game.

If you can prevent your opponent from ever gaining possession of the ball, that's ideal.

Point differential is rather low on the list of tie-breaking rules and most coaches tend to ignore it. So that's why he chose to kneel down.

@ValueDog

 Excellent post and one that shows clearly that there is sum ting wong. When it was still a contested sport, teams would try to score either with a TD or a FG. 

!! out of 10 teams kneel in that situation. The only one that goes for a score there is Dabo Sweeney

Why would you want to risk injury when you already win the game.  
plus Vegas wanted under. 

@Ed-Collins

 You’re exactly right. Why put the defense out there again and risk injury as well ? If you can go home, you go home lol 

@ValueDog

 you must be new to NFL.. Why would they risk injury or potential turnover? Did you watch the Jets/Browns game earlier in the year?

Packers did try to score a TDthey passed the ball 3 times inside the 20 when they didn’t have too. Passed the ball on 3rd and 2 from the 4 and went for it on 4th Down.  U cant say they didn’t try to score a TD 

packers making the playoffs due to point differential by punching in the TD would have likely only increased by 0.00001%. rams likely had a greater chance of coming back to win had the packers scored.

19  points in  1:30   ....

NFW.....they would get the kickoff and take 3 knees...

This isnt a video game..

knee all day in that situation, sorry about your luck.

Take a knee and its 99.999999999% game over.....try and score a TD its 99.5%...You take the Guarantee and don't play with fire...

Been watching the NFL for decades and miss the good old days when a team like the 90's BILLS ran up the score and did not care about the "feelings" or "injury" of players. They played to put points on the board. Win the game. Keep the opposing defence out in the field and keep them tired the whole game. They put points on the board no matter what! 

Again my point being they were Leading 24-12 with 1:39 left - it was in there best interest to points on the board to increase there playoff chances if it comes down to that. If they fumble is LAR going 99 yards for a td most likley not! 

To say it might not come down to points is stupid. It very well could. Here it is from NFL.com

1. Apply division tiebreaker to eliminate all but the highest ranked club in each division prior to proceeding to step 2. The original seeding within a division upon application of the division tiebreaker remains the same for all subsequent applications of the procedure that are necessary to identify the two Wild-Card participants.
2. Head-to-head sweep. (Applicable only if one club has defeated each of the others or if one club has lost to each of the others.)
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
5. Strength of victory in all games.
6. Strength of schedule in all games.
7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed in all games.
8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed in all games.
9. Best net points in conference games.
10. Best net points in all games.
11. Best net touchdowns in all games.
12. Coin toss

Again the game was decided already - how are the LAR going to win down that much? They needed a (2) touchdowns? Not happening! Sorry maybe I am wrong in todays NFL were anything can happen in the last 2:00 minutes of a game! What is the the NBA? 

You are proving my point. Why go through all that risk? The Packers do all that and then just decide to kneel when they have 1 yard to go on 1st down? 36 inches. Come on! Snap the ball and fall forward and let gravity do the rest. Or better yet the new play where the running back get behine the QB and pushes him in? I hate that play by the way! I would watch rubgy if I wanted to watch that crap! Have teams forgot how pull guards and run a sweep? 

@ValueDog

 Funny you should mention that. Jets vs Browns Week 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eaafg3aDeiw

They did try to score from the 4 with 1:26 left but Watson ran the wrong route and the pass went incomplete. After that Rodgers was told to take a knee and he was pissed because he wanted that last TD. You could see him yelling at Watson after the play and when interviewed after the game,Rodgers made a comment about it.

Told to take a knee. Do they want to make the playoffs? The need to move up three spots in the playoff hunt. Why not do every thing yoiu can to improve you chances? 

point differential for these team in the hunt:

NYG * -25 

WSH * -11

------

SEA * 0

DET * 5

GB * -27

Green Bay abosultley not only needs to win games but needs to put points on the board! 

BAD COACHING! NO if's and'd or but's about it!  

....Yup if Chubb took a knee instead of scoring ala like what the Buffalo RB did vs the Dolphins and stop short of the Endzone..Browns might be in playoff contention right now 

you keep making your point about "point differential" like that TD would have locked them into the playoffs. if they scored that TD, i could name a dozen scenarios that could happen that would actually hurt their playoff chances more than the "point differential" would benefit them. we get your point but the kneel down benefits them way more than a hypothetical "point differential" tie-breaker that is still three games away.

Anybody know what was the lowest criteria ever applied to tiebreakers?  I recall around late 70s the Bears had to be the St Louis Cardinals by like some number, and they did to make the playoffs. Was it 30 points?

Again, the chances the Packers run a play (in an attempt to score) and end up losing the game (because of a fumble or because they do score and give the Rams the ball back, who quickly score and then onside kick it and quickly score again) is greater than the chances the Packers make the playoffs specifically because those extra seven points scored was enough of a difference to win the point differential tie-breaker that they otherwise would not have won, assuming this tie-breaker came into play at all.

@Ed-Collins

 Wtf! Bro, that’s the right play! Why risk injury when you can kneel and end the game! Everyone in nfl does this. Lol

Excellent point - forgot about that play! Browns would be in much better position. Too the haters out there of my post. Yes, you play to win the game. But the ultimate goal is the SuperBowl! We shall see if Green Bay misses the playoffs by point differential. 

If Green Bay scores, they are up 31-12 (on a touchdown) or 27-12 (with a fieldgoal) with 1:39 left on the clock. If Baker Mayfield (who people on this board only bash all the time as the worst) leads back to back miracle comebacks I would love to see that. Highly unlikely he does. 

I keep seeing people say thats the right play. Not in that spot for a team needing all the help the can get to get in. 

But what about the Injuries. Injuries. Injuries. Everyone does this in the NFL does this. It's become the norm. Does it make it right? No - practice and repetition makes perfect and why do think they can't score when it counts. Take every chance you get to run plays and imporove you team. Weak coaching! More concerned about the other teams feelings that had zero chance to make the playoffs? WTF. 

If thats your opinion and you like that coaching style, stratgey as this point in the season,  good luck winning a superbowl.