The Green Bay Packers have once again suffered an ugly playoff exit, this time in the form of a blown 18-point lead to the division rival Chicago Bears. An offense that went dormant in the 3rd quarter, a defense that allowed four 4th-quarter scoring drives, and a special teams disaster-class all contributed to the woeful outcome that has now resulted in heavy speculation about if head coach Matt LaFleur is the right man for the job in Titletown. Despite the noise, the Packers are still trying to extend their head coach.
Packers now are expected to try to work out a deal in the coming days to keep head coach Matt LaFleur in Green Bay, per sources. pic.twitter.com/PxugiVoCDQ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 12, 2026
Is Green Bay Right to Want to Extend Matt LaFleur?
Matt LaFleur is an offensive specialist. This season, he guided franchise quarterback Jordan Love to arguably his best-ever season as a starting QB in the NFL. Love had career-highs in completion percentage (66.3%), QBR (72.9), and touchdown-to-interception ratio (almost 4:1). While fans questioned Love’s legitimacy entering the season, the LaFleur-Love partnership showed how good they can be this year.
Matt LaFleur is an offensive specialist. Yet the 2025-26 Green Bay Packers were objectively average offensively. 15th in yards per game. 16th in points per game. Injuries to key players certainly contributed to this. Top wideout Jayden Reed missed 10 games. Tight end Tucker Kraft was having an All-Pro year before being lost for the season. Steadfast tackle Zach Tom missed 5 games. Even Love himself missed multiple contests.
9-7-1 is not a record many fans were happy with given the impressive start to the season – but the sins of the regular season can be forgiven in the postseason. On Wild Card Weekend, Green Bay ripped off three straight touchdown drives to start the game and took a commanding lead. However, the good vibes did not last.
Green Bay managed just 19 total yards and 1 first down in the 3rd quarter. Although Chicago only added a field goal in the period, the Packers stalling out on offense meant the Bears were only down three scores, which they more than made up in the final quarter.
It’s fair to question LaFleur’s play calling in the second half in particular. With a multi-score lead, the Packers did not lean into their traditionally strong run game and instead kept the ball in the air, resulting in multiple 3-and-outs.
Matt LaFleur’s second half has to be on the short list of worst playoff coaching performances this century.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) January 11, 2026
LaFleur is now just 3-6 in the postseason. There’s certainly a case for firing him. So why is Green Bay proactively trying to extend him?
Why Extending Matt LaFleur is the Right Choice
The first question for those that want LaFleur gone is – who should be the replacement? What kind of philosophical direction should the team shift towards?
The answer is that Green Bay can’t do better than LaFleur.
Fans calling for the team to hire John Harbaugh have likely not watched the Baltimore Ravens undergo an even more serious letdown in the past decade. The emergence of Lamar Jackson saved Harbaugh from being fired after missing the playoffs for three straight seasons. Even with the MVP-level QB on the team, Harbaugh has failed to break through and in fact, been responsible for several decision-making blunders that have seen the Ravens blow many games over the years. Harbaugh may be the most proven head coaching name available, but he is not an upgrade on LaFleur.
Former Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy is another name on the market that multiple teams have expressed interest in. However, the reality is the Packers should not be re-treading the past and bringing in a former boss.
Kevin Stefanski has been the other hot commodity in the coaching market. Stefanski is known as a QB whisperer form his days in Minnesota, but as a head coach, has just 2 playoff appearances and 1 win. Fans calling for Stefanski want change for the sake of change. His strengths and weaknesses are too similar to LaFleur’s to justify breaking up the LaFleur-Love partnership just because the fans think something should be different moving forward.
Harbaugh is not an offensive wizard or a defensive guru. While McCarthy once sat among the league’s best offensive coaches, he has not been in that company in a long time (he was fired by the Packers for a reason). LaFleur is still an elite offensive mind, an asset that most NFL teams are still searching for.
Moving into the future, a partnership between LaFleur and defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley represents a winning formula. While Hafley is already garnering some head coaching attention, an industry-leading offensive coach in LaFleur being backed by an ascending defensive mind is something that most NFL teams would kill for.
Teams in the NFL win because of elite coaching (just look at the four teams remaining in the NFC). LaFleur has to be better moving forward, but coming up short in a season in which the team’s QB took a big step forward around an injury-riddled roster shows how important LaFleur is.
When Micah Parsons returns next season to anchor one of the NFL’s top defenses, pairing LaFleur and Love together once again means the Packers are still going to be contenders. The recipe for the Packers is there, and with some better execution at the end of the season and a bit more luck with injuries, Green Bay will be in a good spot next season.
For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow us at @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!
