There is no question that Matt LaFleur is on track to be the winningest coach in Green Bay Packers history. In just three seasons, he has led the Packers to a record of 39-10 and two NFC Championship games. He is the only coach in NFL history to have won 13 games in each of his first three seasons. According to Michael Gallagher at YardBarker, if the Packers pull off a win over the Vikings today, LaFleur will join an exclusive club of NFL coaches.
Matt LaFleur Could Do Something No NFL Coach Has Done in Nearly 50 Years
With a win over the Minnesota Vikings, Matt LaFleur would have 40 wins in his first 50 regular season games. This is a feat only two head coaches have ever accomplished. Paul Brown won 41 of his first 50 games with the Cleveland Browns in the 1950s and Chuck Knox who won 40 of his first 50 games with the Los Angeles Rams in the 1970s.
Interestingly, the Green Bay Packers played a role in Knox’s success with the Rams in the 70s. After riding 1973 NFC MVP John Hadl to a 12-2 record in his first season as head coach, Knox traded Hadl to the Packers for two first round picks, two second round picks, and a third round pick. The Rams used the picks to build the foundation of several successful regular season team. Like Matt LaFleur, though, Chuck Knox lost two NFC Championship Games in his first three seasons as head coach. In fact, Knox lost three-straight NFC title games between 1974-1976. Knox was fired after five seasons with the Rams, who made the Playoffs in each of his seasons as head coach.
As for John Hadl, he played 22 games for the Green Bay Packers, but was never the same as the MVP-caliber player they thought they were getting. Hadl threw for 3,167 yards on a 52.1% completion percentage as the Packers’ quarterback. He had just nine touchdowns and a whopping 29 interceptions during his season and a half in Green Bay.
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