The Green Bay Packers have prided themselves on being one of the most consistent organizations in the NFL for the past nearly 40 years. Since 1992, they have had just three quarterbacks and five head coaches. Having such a run of success is beyond difficult to achieve. It requires equal parts good decision-making and good fortune. However, it appears last season may have shaken the foundation of the once-thought-unshakeable Packers. For the first time in what feels like a decade, there is uncertainty up north. Much of it involves head coach Matt LaFleur.
The man took over the franchise in 2019. Since then, he has made the playoffs in all but one of his seasons at the helm, reaching two NFC Championships. Coaches have enjoyed job certainty for considerably less in this league. See Marvin Lewis. That said, prominent Packers insider Tyler Dunne of Go Long TD dropped a small bombshell on Twitter recently. While confirming that there is a lot of nervousness with the team’s iffy health track record, there is also an underlying belief that LaFleur might be coaching for his job.
Matt LaFleur can’t escape recent history.
His consistent success in the regular season is constantly being tarnished by some ugly results in the playoffs. That first NFC Championship appearance saw his team crushed 37-8. A year later, with homefield advantage and three interceptions from his defense, LaFleur’s offense scored just 10 first half points, and then, when they had the chance to go for a tie with two minutes left, he settled for a short field goal. That gave the ball back to Tom Brady with a five-point lead, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ran out the clock.
The next year, after throttling Dallas in the wild card round, the Packers took a 21-14 lead into the 4th quarter. San Francisco scored 10 unanswered points to steal the game. In 2024, they were railroaded in the wild card round 22-10 by the eventual champion Philadelphia Eagles. Yet Matt LaFleur saved his most painful moment for this past January. With a chance to further Green Bay’s dominance in the rivalry against the Chicago Bears, his team took a 21-3 lead in the first half. Then, to the horror of fans and players alike, the world watched as Caleb Williams rallied Chicago to a backbreaking 31-27 comeback victory.
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Rumblings persist that LaFleur is to blame for this downturn.
You can understand that perspective. After all, six playoff runs without a Super Bowl appearance isn’t a great look. It’s made even worse by how Green Bay has lost some of those games. Some fans still weren’t over that 2020 NFC Championship decision. Now you add losing in humiliating fashion to your most hated rival after years of dominating them? The bloom is well and truly off the rose. Forget just one losing season in seven years. Forget the six playoff trips and multiple top 10 offenses. It’s possible LaFleur just might not have the necessary answers to getting that team over the hump.
Then again, there is also the possibility that the team is avoiding the more uncomfortable topic. Their roster might not be good enough. Jordan Love isn’t Aaron Rodgers. Jayden Reed isn’t Jordy Nelson. The offensive line has looked weaker than it was a few years ago. The defense was concerningly weak once Micah Parsons was out of the picture. Is it possible LaFleur has actually been masking the bigger issue with the team? If forced to choose, it sounds like the Packers are willing to cut the cord and take the risk.
