Matt LaFleur has long been considered one of the NFL’s better head coaches largely due to being a brilliant offensive mind. However, with the Green Bay Packers now having lost back-to-back games, the criticism of LaFleur feels like it is reaching a point that it rarely has during his half-decade plus of service as the Packers head coach. As the talented roster is looking more and more incapable of fulfilling their Super Bowl potential, it’s fair to put LaFleur’s contributions under the microscope and wonder what he could be doing differently to maximize the team.
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Issues Matt LaFleur and the Green Bay Packers Need to Fix
In their last two contests, the passing offense has been paltry. With tight end Tucker Kraft out for the year and multiple other receivers, namely Matthew Golden and Jayden Reed, also out with injuries, quarterback Jordan Love has passed for just 224 yards per game, with his completion percentage at a much-lower 63%. It has been a far cry from his MVP-level performances in weeks prior.
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Matt LaFleur also seems to still not have found the ideal gameplan for this version of the Packers. While it makes sense to paper to lean on a run game led by a top running back in Josh Jacobs and a solid offensive line, it has not helped Love get into the best situations. The Green Bay QB has not been at his best lately partly due to being in so many obvious passing situations where the team is playing from behind.
Furthermore, it’s harder to run the ball when in a losing position. Green Bay has led for barely seven minutes total in their last two games against Carolina and Philadelphia. Slow starts to games, and specifically slow starts to games for Love, are not allowing the Packers to lean on Jacobs late in games on offense or lean on their strong pass rush on defense.
Usually, I find “they’re running too much” discourse pretty bad/shallow. However!
The Packers have a run rate over expectation of +10% or more in 4 games this season: v Eagles (L), v Browns (L), v Panthers (L), and v Cowboys (T)
MLF simply must get to faster scripts…faster.
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) November 11, 2025
Partly due to their high run rate, the Packers are in the bottom group of teams in total number of possessions per game. Less chances for their offense to put drives together has resulted in some problematic game situations, particularly in the last two weeks.
Even in recent victories, the Packers have failed to show their killer instinct and instead poorly managed leads, resulting in close affairs with Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals. Even outside of their recent ability to gain leads, the not-too-distant past shows this team is also poor at managing the game when they are ahead.
If the gameplan is to assert dominance early and lean on a strong run game and explosive play-action passing attack, then the Packers have majestically failed at executing it. Their seven total minutes leading in the past two weeks all came in the 2nd quarter against Carolina, meaning the team hasn’t led in the second half since the Steelers game. While the on-field execution has obviously not been up to snuff, one begins to wonder how effective the plan actually is if it cannot be accomplished against above-average opponents.
Independent of whatever play design masterclass LaFleur is capable of delivering, regardless of how cutting-edge the team’s backfield motion is, and in spite of all the cool personnel choices and formations the team uses, LaFleur has simply been subpar in managing games. Whether it be run-vs-pass play-calling, clock management, third-down play-calling, or overall offensive philosophy, he must be better if the 2025-26 Green Bay Packers are going to have any chance of winning the NFC North and being a real playoff threat.
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