Multiple rankings of NFL head coaches were recently released, and Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur didn’t rank as high as perhaps he deserves to be. He ranked ninth according to Pro Football Network. Pro Football Focus didn’t even put him in their top 10. While LaFleur deserves respect for all he’s accomplished so far, there are still things he needs to do to rank higher on these lists of the best current NFL coaches.
Thus far, LaFleur has been very successful as coach of the Packers. He started his tenure with the Packers in the 2019 season. In his first six seasons, he has a record of 67-33. That’s a .670 winning percentage. His teams made the playoffs in five of his first six seasons as a head coach and won one playoff game in three of those seasons.
In addition, LaFleur has won with different types of rosters. At the start of his tenure, the Packers roster was laden with veterans. He also had a veteran quarterback who has a reputation as being difficult to handle in Aaron Rodgers. Yet, Rodgers’ career was revived when LaFleur arrived in Green Bay, and he won back-to-back NFL MVPs in 2020 and 2021. LaFleur found a way to combine the offense he favored with some of the things Rodgers did well under his predecessor. He got Rodgers to buy in, at least initially, and the offense was elite.
Then, after the Packers traded Rodgers to the Jets, LaFleur took over an inexperienced quarterback in Jordan Love. In 2023 and 2024, the Packers had the youngest roster in the NFL. Still, LaFleur managed to lead them to the playoffs both years.
In addition to working with both experienced and young teams and quarterbacks, LaFleur is considered one of the better offensive minds and play callers in the game today. Like every coach, LaFleur makes questionable decisions and calls at times, but overall, he creates plays and schemes players open and creates opportunities for his players to succeed.
Early in his career, LaFleur didn’t get credit because skeptics believed his success was mostly due to having a future Hall of Fame quarterback on his team. They gave Rodgers the majority of the credit despite the fact that Rodgers had already earned a reputation as being difficult to manage (just ask Mike McCarthy). But then LaFleur won with Jordan Love.
But the biggest reason LaFleur lacks the respect he deserves is because of his playoff record. In eight postseason contests with Green Bay, LaFleur’s teams have a 3-5 record, the equivalent of a 6-10 NFL regular season.
In addition, most of his playoff success came early in his tenure. LaFleur reached the NFC Championship Game in each of his first two seasons. Both times, his teams fell short. Since then, LaFleur’s postseason record is 1-3.
In 2021, LaFleur’s team was the top seed in the NFC. The heavily favored Packers lost a home playoff game to the San Francisco 49ers.
In 2023, the Packers were ahead of the 49ers on the road but failed to hold the lead and lost 24-21.
The lack of recent playoff success has hurt LaFleur’s standing in many people’s eyes. The Packers have never reached the Super Bowl under LaFleur’s tenure and are 0-2 in NFC title games. They also haven’t reached an NFC Championship Game under LaFleur in the last four seasons.
Ultimately, playoff success is the key for LaFleur to get the respect his regular season record hasn’t quite gotten him. Winning even one Super Bowl would dramatically change his perception as a top coach immediately. Even getting to one would help raise his reputation.
Look at the difference in reputation that Tony Dungy and Andy Reid had as coaches before and then after they won a Super Bowl. This is the ultimate thing missing from LaFleur’s resume.
A few more playoff wins would certainly help, but ultimately, winning a championship would lift LaFleur to the top echelon of current NFL coaches.