All good things come to an end at some point.
The Chicago Bears ended their ten-game losing streak in Week 18 and snapped a six-year losing streak to the Green Bay Packers.
The Monsters of the Midway emerged victorious on a 51-yard Cairo Santos buzzer-beating field goal, 24-22. The Bears looked atrocious for most of this matchup, but the opposition looked even worse.
The Packers have had the Bears’ number for what seems like ages, but this season, considering the 11-6 record, the ‘GnG’ played down to their opponent. Even more concerning, if it weren’t for Karl Brooks’ fingertip, they wouldn’t have a single win in the division.
The last time the Pack had such a poor win percentage against the NFC North was in 2005 when they went 4-12 on the season. Similarly, they achieved only one victory in division play back in 2018, when they went 1-4-1.
What would those two seasons have in common? The firing of head coaches Mike Sherman and Mike McCarthy.
Perhaps your first reaction is: That’s hyperbole! Matt LaFleur has a 67-33 record and has made the playoffs all but once in his young career!
That’s fair. I’m not calling for LaFleur’s head… at least not yet. Let’s look at LaFleur’s season:
The Good Matt LaFleur
LaFleur deserves credit for leading the NFL’s youngest team to the playoffs.
According to Elias Sports Bureau, they are the second youngest team to do so in the past 45 seasons, second behind the 2023 Packers. This is also LaFleur’s fourth 10+ win season in six tries.
His highlight this year was the game plan he implemented for Malik Willis in Weeks 2 and 3 against the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts. They were victorious and even scored 30 points against the Colts.
But that’s about it.
The Bad Matt LaFleur
Through Week 12, the Packers held an 8-3 record. The Washington Commanders lost their third straight to a struggling Dallas Cowboys team, falling to 7-5. The Commanders would flip the script and win their remaining games to secure the No. 6 seed in the NFC.
As for the Pack, they would play .500 the rest of the way.
Sure, if the Packers advance to the divisional round, they will have to meet the Lions anyway. Still, anyone who says they don’t have a preference between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers isn’t telling you the truth.
Not enough from “The Bad” section? Just wait.
The Ugly Matt LaFleur
LaFleur is a very emotional guy. He is so emotional that during his arm flailing and screaming, it’s as if the challenge flag pops out onto the field for no reason. He is 1-for-6 in his challenges this season, with his first successful one in Week 18 since last year’s divisional round against the San Francisco 49ers.
Nit-picky? Perhaps. However, his time management hasn’t made sense, and it showed against the Bears.
In the fourth quarter, the Packers got the ball from a DJ Moore fumble. 3rd & 2, Emmanuel Wilson took a loss of two yards and brought up fourth down. The Packers had all three timeouts until LaFleur called on with 0:58 seconds on the clock. He could’ve run down the clock, but instead, the Bears got the ball with 0:52 and a timeout, helping them drive down to win. LaFleur also failed to call a timeout to ice Santos’ game-winning kick.
Aside from time management, the Packers dropped five of the six divisional meetings due to the offense failing to score more than seven points in the first half. Playing catch-up against high-scoring teams like the Detroit Lions (33 ppg) and Minnesota Vikings (25 ppg) is tough. This goes for the lowly Chicago Bears, too! In the Bears’ ten-game losing streak, they scored just 20 points twice but still got 24 against the Pack.
Facing Philadelphia on Sunday, Jordan Love and the offense must put up points quickly, but they will be missing key wide receiver Christian Watson, who tore his ACL on a non-contact play. While LaFleur couldn’t have predicted this, the absence of a top WR option raises questions about whether he should have rested Watson.
It’s even more concerning that Watson asked LaFleur if he could play on Sunday if he practiced Friday.
The Packers will now face the toughest passing defense in the league without him.
Hot Seat or Not?
The G on the Packers helmet doesn’t stand for Green— it stands for ‘Greatness.’
It would be odd to call for a new coach if the Packers don’t advance to the next round, as LaFleur’s nearly 70% regular-season win rate reflects success.
However, we will be 14 years removed from hoisting the Lombardi trophy in February. So, if I were GM Brian Gutekunst, quotes like “I have to be better, more on the same page with exactly where we were” (time management in the final drive vs. Chicago) or “played a little bit more man than we were anticipating…” (Lack of offensive rhythm vs. Vikings) would not sit well with me.
Barring a miracle, such as the Packers making it to the NFC Championship Game, Matt LaFleur’s seat should be hot.
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