The Green Bay Packers’ Week 1 collapse didn’t just reopen old wounds. It put Matt LaFleur’s extension right back under the microscope.
For a franchise that just watched another late-game meltdown, the optics are rough. LaFleur now has one postseason win since Aaron Rodgers left and Jordan Love took over, and that’s not the kind of recent résumé that makes January’s decision to re-sign him look especially sharp. In a league that lives almost entirely in the present, accomplishments fade fast, and Green Bay’s top decision makers are staring at the consequences of betting on a coach who had not fully earned that security.
The playoff loss that came before this latest stumble was ugly enough on its own. The Packers went out after holding a double-digit lead against a hated division rival, and that kind of finish has gotten plenty of coaches shown the door.
Instead, Green Bay chose to extend LaFleur in January. Now the same type of collapse has shown up again in the first week of the 2026 season, making the timing of that move look even stranger.
What makes this worse for the Packers is the pattern. Fans have now watched the team unravel in each of its last two games, and Sunday’s version was the more alarming one.
It came against a team expected to be near the bottom of the NFC North, and that opponent was forced to rely on backup quarterback Bo Nix. Even with that setup, Green Bay still couldn’t stop the slide.
There isn’t much to defend in the coaching here. When a team keeps falling apart like this, questions about leadership are going to follow.
And when that coach was just handed an extension after a playoff collapse, those questions get louder. For Green Bay, that January decision now looks less like stability and more like a choice that may end up costing the organization even more.
In Other News...
Wisconsin Fans Have A New Fear About RB Commit Kingston Allen
Kingston Allens start at Notre Dame Academy has been impossible to ignore, and Wisconsin fans have every reason to keep checking in on the state of the running back commit. Through just five games, the high school standout has piled up more than 1,400 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns, production that would draw attention anywhere and usually brings a fresh wave of recruiting interest along with it.
Instead, Allen is still sitting on only five college offers, and he has not picked up any new ones this season. That combination has sparked a familiar anxiety around Badgers recruiting, where a late surge from a talented prospect can invite new suitors even when he is already committed, leaving Wisconsin supporters watching closely for any sign that the situation might change. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Just Got A New Concern With Its Top Basketball Commit
Wisconsins 2027 recruiting class still looks strong on paper, with three four-star commitments led by combo guard Jalen Brown, the highest-rated name in the group. But Brown is heading to Sequoia Charter School in Mesa, Arizona, for his senior season, a move that changes the backdrop of his final prep year even as he remains committed to the Badgers.
For Wisconsin, the concern is less about the commitment itself than the distance that now comes with it. Having Brown in Arizona makes it harder for the staff to keep a close eye on his development day to day, turning what had been a more manageable in-state or nearby recruitment into something more remote as the program tries to hold together one of its best early classes. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin's Big Ten Path Just Put One Stretch In Focus
The Big Ten has finally laid out Wisconsins path for the 2026-27 basketball season, and the shape of it already jumps out. The Badgers will play a 20-game conference slate, with home-and-away matchups against Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois helping define the rhythm of the year. There are no three-game home or road stretches in the schedule, which should keep the travel and venue swings from getting too extreme over long runs.
Still, a few road dates stand out right away for Wisconsin fans keeping an eye on the league race. Trips to Michigan State, UCLA and Illinois give the Badgers some of the tougher swings on the calendar, and those stretches figure to matter when the bracket picture starts taking shape. It is the kind of schedule that leaves room for opportunity, but not much margin if Wisconsin wants to position itself well in Big Ten play. [Read more 🡒]