Packers: Insider Provides Intriguing Matt LaFleur and John Harbaugh Update

Matt LaFleur and the Green Bay Packers blew it. They had a 21-3 lead over the Chicago Bears heading into halftime of their Wild Card playoff matchup on Saturday night. Despite a terrible third quarter, they still went into the fourth quarter with a 21-9 lead.

This was one the Packers should have one. Losing to the Bears always hurts, but losing in this fashion, which can only be described as an implosion, is unacceptable.

Unfortunately, moments like this have become commonplace in the LaFleur era. He's now 3-6 in the playoffs as a head coach but there are deeper issues in Green Bay than just that record.

The truth of the matter is that LaFleur's teams have become soft and predicable. They can't respond to pressure. They wilt in the face of adversity, and there's no lead big enough that LaFleur couldn't squander because of his propensity to coach scared and timid.

Frankly, LaFleur should be fired, but reports coming out of Green Bay before the playoff game suggested that win or lose, the Packers would meet with the head coach to discuss a contract extension.

New reporting from Adam Schefter on Sunday morning makes it seem like less of a certainty that the Packers will automatically hand LaFleur an extension, though. If the brass was watching that game, and they were, they should have realized that a collapse of that magnitude is unacceptable. 

Schefter revealed that he does believe that President Ed Policy still has a decision to make, though. It's not already set in stone. Interestingly, if the Packers do move on from LaFleur, Schefter said that "he automatically would go near the top of the coaches available and shake up this head coaching cycle yet again."

If the Packers do move on from LaFleur, that would set up a ripple effect throughout the league. There are several coaches available on the market right now, and one of those, long-time Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, could be impacted by that decision.

In fact, Schefter said that people across the NFL believe Harbaugh could be interested in the Pack and there are connections there.

Bob Harlan was the Packers' president from 1989 to 2005. Bob Harlan's son, Bryan Harlan, is Harbaugh's agent. 

"John Harbaugh is a midwestern guy who has a home in the Upper Peninsula. A lot of people around the league have been wondering if the Packers decide to go in a different direction, if all of a sudden the Green Bay Packers might fall to the top of John Harbaugh's list as the top available choice for him," Schefter said.

It's worth noting that some of the issues that have plagued LaFleur in Green Bay had also been problems for Harbaugh in Baltimore, and that's why he was fired after 18 seasons. With that said, it may have been a case of the Ravens needing a new voice and a new direction after they missed the playoffs this season.

Every head coach will have warts, but Harbaugh is 180-113 all time and he did win the Super Bowl in 2012-23.

Perhaps a new voice who, at least, does know how to win the Super Bowl could be advantageous for the Packers. Of course, they'd have to decide to move on from LaFleur first, but at this point, anything and everything should be on the table.

Super Bowls are the expectation in Title Town, and LaFleur is simply not the man for the job.