The discourse surrounding Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur this offseason has been wild, especially because the last time we saw his team on the field, they blew a 21-3 lead and allowed 25 fourth-quarter points in a 31-27 Wild Card loss to the Chicago Bears. With that in mind, what does LaFleur need to do to bounce back and ensure he has a strong coaching season in 2026?
LaFleur signed a new contract extension with the Packers this offseason, and it was the right decision by the front office. Still, he will be under more pressure than ever to deliver results. That doesn’t mean he is on the hot seat, because he isn’t. However, after the way last season ended, the standards are higher than ever.
“I was confident in what we’ve been able to do,” LaFleur said this offseason when discussing the team’s extensive offseason evaluation. “Certainly, are we satisfied? Hell no. Not even close. We always want more. Until you’re hoisting that Lombardi, you’re not gonna be satisfied, and even then, you’re gonna wanna do it again.”
It has to start with the basics. The Packers have to take back the NFC North crown. Green Bay has not won the division since 2021. Since then, the Detroit Lions have won it twice, while the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings have each won it once. That gives the Packers the longest active division title drought in the NFC North, which isn’t acceptable by their standards.
There is no other team in the division you can confidently say is better than Green Bay entering 2026. Detroit has questions on defense, the Bears feel like a regression candidate and still have not done enough to improve their pass rush, and nobody knows what Kyler Murray will look like with the Vikings. The Packers have an opportunity to take back control of the NFC North.
By winning the division, the Packers can finally put the “seventh-seed merchant” narrative to rest. Sure, if the league hadn’t introduced the seventh seed in 2020, Green Bay would be on a four-year playoff drought. But if my aunt had wheels, she’d be a bicycle. The reality is that the Packers have made the playoffs in all but one of Matt LaFleur’s seasons as head coach.
Still, I’d like to see LaFleur lean more into Jordan Love and the passing game. Over the last two seasons, Love ranks second in both EPA per play and adjusted EPA per play, sixth in air yards, and 10th in both success rate and completion percentage over expected. Yet, he ranked no higher than 17th in pass attempts in either season. If your quarterback has consistently been one of the league’s most efficient passers, it’s time to put the ball in his hands more often.
We have occasionally seen LaFleur become overly reliant on the run and screen game. Last season, the Packers were among the league’s least aggressive teams throwing on early downs, calling runs on first and second down more than 50% of the time. I don’t understand why he has been so hesitant to let Love cook, given that the evidence shows the quarterback remains productive even as his workload increases.
In his first season as a starter, Love finished sixth in pass attempts. He ranked fifth in EPA per play and sixth in adjusted EPA per play, doing so with a new and still-developing group of pass catchers around him.
So, LaFleur needs to break the division barrier. Once the Packers get into the postseason, anything can happen as long as they stay healthy. I would also like to see him diversify his play-calling tendencies a bit, not abandon them. They are a big reason LaFleur has become one of the league’s most respected head coaches, but they become less predictable in certain situations.
