The Green Bay Packers collapsed against the Chicago Bears. Is Matt LaFleur's conservative and scared coaching costing Green Bay a chance at a Super Bowl?
It has been quite a season if you're a fan of the Green Bay Packers. From looking like no-doubt Super Bowl contenders in Weeks 1 and 2, respectively, to blowing a 21-3 lead to the Chicago Bears in the Wild Card Round of the NFL playoffs.
That's a roller coaster if there ever was one, and unfortunately, many of the highs this season were overshadowed by several major lows.
The big ones were, of course, the loss of several star players to season-ending injury. Tucker Kraft, Elgton Jenkins, Devonte Wyatt and Micah Parsons were all lost for the season at various points during the season.
The Parsons injury was the most impactful, though.
In fact, the Packers didn't win a single game without Parsons on the field. They finished this season at 9-8-1, including the playoff loss. Five of those losses came in a row and the tipping point was Parsons' torn ACL.
Still, the Pack had a shot in the playoffs, no matter if they backed in or not, and they blew it.
That loss and the manner in which it has happened have led to an existential crisis of sorts in Green Bay.
Head coach Matt LaFleur has gotten the team to the playoffs in six of his seven seasons as the man in charge, but this team has certainly taken on some of his worst qualities.
He's a great coach, there's no doubt about it. His ability to consistently win more than he loses is something that a handful of teams around the NFL would kill for. He's also a strong offensive mind, and when you give him time to gameplan and scheme, he can be arguably the best offensive mind in football.
He's also conservative as a play-caller, though. Too conservative. He gets nervous. Sometimes the moment seems too big for him. He has a hard time shutting the door when his team has the lead. His team's have had a history of "playing down" to lesser opponents.
Those are the bad qualities of LaFleur, and those are the reasons many across Packer Nation feel that this team won't be able to win a Super Bowl with him in charge.
And yet, the Packers may extend his contract (which will run out after 2026) within the next few days.
Andrew Kulha and Evan Massey of PackersRoundtable and Anthony Moeglin of RoundTableSports discuss all this and more on the latest episode of the PackersRoundtable podcast.
You can watch the full episode below: