While Matt LaFleur has never appeared in a Super Bowl, he’s been considered one of the most underrated coaches in the league. The Green Bay Packers won two more games last season than they did in 2023, but fell in ESPN’s rankings.
LaFleur was able to weather the storm of Aaron Rodgers when he was first named head coach in 2019. He’s only missed the playoffs once in Green Bay, that being an 8-9 season after three straight years with 13 wins.
ESPN Cites Green Bay with the 10th Best Coaching Staff
After being ranked No. 8 last season, the Packers managed to fall two spots even though they improved their record. LaFleur had his work cut out for him last season when Malik Willis had to step in at quarterback.
Green Bay didn’t lose a single game when Willis was under center. LaFleur didn’t get nearly enough credit for the way he coached those games. That’s not to say that Willis is some low-tiered backup, but he completely changed his play-calling style and it paid off big time.
Jordan Love has seen three playoff games in his first two seasons as a starter. Under a different head coach, that may not be the case. The Packers continue to make moves and build a team that they believe can lead them to their first Super Bowl appearance since they won it in 2011.
Ben Solak wrote, “I feel bad about the Packers being this low. LaFleur had one of his better seasons as an offensive coach in 2024.”
Even though they lost Aaron Jones, Josh Jacobs earned his flowers. The 27-year-old had one of his best seasons in the NFL with 1,329 rushing yards and a career high 15 touchdowns. Not only that, but he recorded the first receiving touchdown of his six-year career.
It’s clear that this offense isn’t what needs to be worried about. The addition of Matthew Golden is only going to make Love better, and Christian Watson will return midway through the season.
Ben Solak Questions the Packers Defense and Record Against ‘Elite Teams’
“Two key coaching points give me pause in Green Bay. It ended the season dead last in defensive success rate against dropbacks but second in EPA per dropback faced,” Solak said.
Recovering 14 fumbles and recording 17 interceptions put the Packers tied for the third most in football. Green Bay has continued to prioritize those two things with their new “Ball King” enigma in practice.
Solak continued, “Though I don’t think their defense was poorly coached by any stretch, it probably punched above its weight last season.”
Green Bay has their work cut out for them in 2025. They begin their season against the Detroit Lions, and later face the Washington Commanders, Cincinnati Bengals, Philadelphia Eagles, and Baltimore Ravens.
The ESPN insider didn’t hesitate to bring up the Packers 0-6 record against the Lions, Eagles, and Minnesota Vikings last season. Even though they finished third in the NFC North, they still managed to make the playoffs.
“The best defensive coordinators: Vic Fangio, Brian Flores and Aaron Glenn were able to flummox Love and expose that opportunistic defense. Green Bay’s staff never found a solution as the season went on,” Solak stated.
Ultimately, they lost those six games by a combined 34 points. That comes out to each loss being by 5.66 points. In total, four of those six games were decided by one score.
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