What started like a promising opening night for the Packers ended in ugly fashion, and Matt LaFleur once again found himself at the center of it.
Green Bay had a chance to control the game, even with Kyler Murray out, but the fourth quarter turned into a complete breakdown. The Packers still managed to cough up a double-digit lead, and the final score flipped into a 39-22 win for the Vikings after a 22-point fourth quarter sent the game off the rails.
The collapse came with a familiar pattern attached. LaFleur was too aggressive when patience made more sense, then not aggressive enough when the moment demanded it. Add in bad clock management, vanilla play-calling and a puzzling decision to go for it on fourth down instead of taking the points, and the Packers helped hand the game away.
That wasn’t the only issue. Green Bay was already short-handed without Micah Parsons and Josh Jacobs, and the offensive line eventually fell apart. Jordan Love took the hit, the turnovers followed, and the game slipped completely out of reach.
For Packers fans, the frustration isn’t just the loss itself. It’s how recognizable it all looked. This was another double-digit lead gone, another late-game failure, another reminder of the same problem showing up over and over again.
LaFleur’s Packers already blew three double-digit leads last season, including an 18-point collapse in the Wild Card round vs. the Chicago Bears, of all people. So when this one went sideways, it didn’t feel like a shock so much as the latest entry in a pattern that keeps repeating.
The comparison to Doc Rivers lands because of the habit, not the hardware. Rivers has a ring.
LaFleur doesn’t. But the larger point is the same: big leads disappear, the explanations stay the same, and the results keep piling up.
LaFleur may be a great offensive coordinator, an elite one even, but coaching the Packers demands more than that. If he can’t steady this team when the pressure rises and get it to the final game of the season, the questions about his future aren’t going away.
Maybe Doc Rivers is too strong a label. Maybe Mike D'Antoni or George Karl fits better.
In Other News...
Packers First Injury Report Leaves One Early Concern For Jets Week
After a season-opening loss, the Packers got back to work with an early injury report that was relatively clean, but not entirely carefree. Defensive tackle Warren Brinson was the only player absent from practice because of a calf injury, leaving Green Bay with one immediate health note to track as it shifts attention to a Week 2 meeting with the Jets.
Elsewhere on the field, Aaron Banks, Zach Bako-Bewele, Brandon Cisse and TyRon Hopper were all back in practice in some capacity as the team sorted through various recovery timelines and availability questions. For a Packers group trying to steady itself quickly after Week 1, the bigger concern right now is less about the full roster picture and more about whether Brinsons absence turns into something more than an early-week blip. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Suddenly Have A Jordan Love Problem They Can't Ignore
After a rough Week 1 loss to the Vikings, the Packers found themselves staring at an issue they hoped would not linger into September: protection for Jordan Love. Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said he is not overly concerned by the offensive lines performance, even though the unit gave up a troubling number of unblocked pressures and sacks and left Love dealing with far too much heat in the pocket.
The bigger concern is whether Green Bay can sort through the mess quickly enough before it starts to affect everything else in the offense. Several linemen graded poorly in pass protection, and the Packers are expected to keep experimenting with different combinations up front as they try to settle on something that gives Love a cleaner launch point and a little more confidence moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Defense Suddenly Faces A New Concern On Short Week
The Packers injury picture got a little murkier this week, and not in a way anyone around the building would have wanted. Green Bays latest report added new concussion designations for Javon Hargrave and Lukas Van Ness, even though neither was reported to have concussion symptoms during or right after the previous game. On a short week, any fresh concern on defense tends to draw attention quickly, especially when the team is already sorting through several other limited and non-participating players at practice.
For a Packers defense trying to stay on schedule, the timing adds another layer of uncertainty as preparation shifts toward the next game. The team will keep monitoring those situations in the coming days, while the Jets are also dealing with a list of injuries that could keep multiple players out of their next matchup. For Green Bay, the immediate focus is less on the opponents availability than on whether two key defenders can get cleared in time. [Read more 🡒]