Matt LaFleur, Packers ripped for last-second field goal on social media

After 59 minutes and 59 seconds of what amounted to a preseason game in the final Sunday of the regular season, Brandon McManus' field goal to avoid a shutout in the Green Bay Packers' ugly 16-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings appeared to be about as meaningless as the final result of the game.

But it was clear on social media Jan. 4 that it was quite meaningful to a faction of NFL fans that play games of chance. They would have certainly preferred that Packers coach Matt LaFleur would have just let the clock run out.

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But LaFleur did not fold. He elected to take the who cares three points instead of seeing zero under the Packers final score. And many viewers did not agree with the crooked number.

With Minnesota favored by 13.5 points, on at least one betting site, those who took Minnesota and the points lost all bets the second that McManus' kick went through the uprights. The industry would calls it a bad beat, but Sunday, it was a bad boot.

And considering the Packers' absolutely unwatchable offensive performance filled with reserves and practice squad players that included a -7 yards passing from quarterback Clayton Tune, other fans wondered why LaFleur did not let time and that very forgettable game film immediately expire?

The starters will be back for the Packers' wild-card matchup with the Chicago Bears needing to reverse the trend of four straight losses. And though the two teams split their two regular season meetings, the 22-16 overtime loss was crushing as they led 16-6 in the fourth quarter.

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Will it be a payback game? Well, if the Packers are attempting a field goal in the final seconds, it's probably a lock that the points will decide more the than a wager.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: LaFleur, Packers ripped for last-second field goal on social media