Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has always been an afterthought of the team’s success. In the past, when the team was successful, Aaron Rodgers was the reason. If the team was bad, people started to question LaFleur. Many had this season as a true test of LaFleur’s prowess as a head coach. Jordan Love is the new quarterback, and overall, this is a very young team. While it hasn’t been perfect, it is time to give some praise to Matt LaFleur.
Packers HC Matt LaFleur – David Eulitt/Getty Images
Green Bay Packers Matt LaFleur: By The Numbers
The stats are eye-popping to look at. Currently, LaFleur is 49-20 with Green Bay. That comes out to a .710 winning percentage, which currently sits at fifth all-time behind only Guy Chamberlin, John Madden, Vince Lombardi, and George Allen. Not bad company to keep. Here are some other accomplishments that LaFleur has had in his time with the Packers.
- Is the only head coach in NFL history to not lose back-to-back games in his first 49 games.
- Per the Elias Sports Bureau, his 47 wins are the second most in NFL history by a head coach in his first four seasons in the league.
- Oversaw a Packers offense that led the NFL with 509 points in 2020, the second-highest total in team history.
- In his first three seasons leading the Packers (2019-21), guided Green Bay to a trio of 13-win seasons, three NFC North crowns, and two appearances in the NFC Championship Game.
The list goes on. While we do not know whether LaFleur will end his coaching career with as high of a winning percentage as he has now, it certainly is a great start.
Overcoming Injuries
The Packers have had a couple of games, including the Week 3 game against the Saints, where the odds were stacked against the offense due to injuries. In 2021, the Packers came into a Thursday night tilt against the undefeated Arizona Cardinals. Davante Adams was out with an injury, as was Allen Lazard. This left a wide receiver room of an aging Randall Cobb, Juwann Winfree, and Equanimeous St. Brown. While Aaron Jones and Robert Tonyan were there as well, it is not the ideal lineup for a game against an undefeated team. LaFleur was able to correctly scheme a game around what he had and handed the Cardinals their first loss of the season.
On Sunday, Aaron Jones, Christian Watson, David Bakhtiari, and Elgton Jenkins were all out with injuries. LaFleur responded by calling a great game. While the team struggled to execute at times, it wasn’t because of the play calling. For example, early in the second quarter, Love missed Luke Musgrave over the middle. It would’ve been a 60-yard touchdown had the pass been completed. At the end of the game, LaFleur recognized a weakness in the secondary and exploited it. Matt LaFleur is able to take what he has and make a decent offense out of it.
Packers HC Matt LaFleur and former QB Aaron Rodgers (12) – Charlie Riedel/Associated Press
Evolving As A Coach
One of the knocks I have had of LaFleur over the first four years is the team’s ability to come back from being down. While LaFleur has never lost back-to-back games, the games that the Packers lose are often spectacularly bad. What seems to happen is the team gets punched in the mouth and never recovers.
In the same 2021 season, the Packers lost 38-3 to the Saints. They came out slow and never recovered. Sunday gave me hope that there might be a change happening. Down 17-0 in the fourth quarter, this team rallied and beat a decent Saints team. I think early coach Matt LaFleur lost this game, but the team never gave up and came away with the victory.
Other Criticisms
While I hope the comeback potential is something that is being fixed, there are a couple of other criticisms I’d like to point out. LaFleur decided to keep Joe Barry on as defensive coordinator. This team has way too much talent on it not to be a top-ten defense in the league. They consistently underperform in the biggest moments.
Now, I have to give credit here that the defense only gave up ten points on Sunday (seven points came on a punt return). Jaire Alexander was out, and De’Vondre Campbell went out with an ankle injury early in the game. The defense held thanks to a three-sack performance by Rashan Gary and key plays in big moments. Maybe Barry has turned a corner, and this team has finally settled into a good scheme, but if this defense fails again, LaFleur needs to look elsewhere.
Great Coach Despite Flaws
Everyone has flaws. No coach is the perfect coach. I like to look around the league and compare how other coaches have done with the talent around them. The Bears hired Matt Eberflus and have lost 13 straight games dating back to last season. Josh McDaniels inherited a talented Raiders roster and has underperformed. Robert Saleh hasn’t been able to have much success in New York. Brandon Staley has Justin Herbert and struggles to win games. The list goes on. I get that LaFleur had Rodgers but simply having a great quarterback does not mean automatic success.
Matt LaFleur has been able to take what is given to him and find a huge amount of success. The fact that he hasn’t lost back-to-back games since he took over the Packers is huge. Losing streaks is what kills teams’ chances at success. Losses happen. Teams have good games and bad games. I don’t think the Arizona Cardinals are better than the Dallas Cowboys, but Arizona had a great game, and Dallas had a bad one. We love to talk about Mike Tomlin, Bill Belichick, and Andy Reid, but Matt LaFleur is slowly becoming an elite coach for the Green Bay Packers. The Packers have had great players, but it also looks like they have found a great coach.
