Matt LaFleur on hot seat? Packers coach addresses job security after second straight Green Bay loss
Green Bay is off to a disappointing start, and Matt LaFleur has tough questions to answer
By
Bryan DeArdo
•
1 min read
Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur is fielding questions about his job status following Sunday's night's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Green Bay's 10-7 loss to Philadelphia marked the team's second straight defeat. The loss, which dropped Green Bay (5-3-1) from first to third place in the NFC North standings, led to questions on whether or not LaFleur is on the proverbial "hot seat."
"I'll leave that for everybody else to decide," LaFleur said. "I'll just focus on the day to day. ... I feel like you're always coaching for everything in this league, you know, I that's just my mindset. It's always been that way. You know, you can't ever exhale. You got to always be pushing. And that's just my mindset. And that will be my mindset until they tell me not to coach anymore."
While Green Bay underachieved through nine games, the question about LaFleur's job status may be more indicative about the state of coaching than it is about LaFleur's job performance.
LaFleur saw two peers fired before Thanksgiving. The Tennessee Titans let coach Brian Callahan go just six games into his second season in Nashville. The New York Giants relieved coach Brian Daboll of his duties following New York's last-minute loss to the Chicago Bears that saw rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart leave the game early after sustaining a concussion.
LaFleur being asked about his job security is still surprising, though, given his overall body of work since the Packers hired him in 2019. Over that span, the Packers have won 66.5% of their regular season games, have made the playoffs five times and have appeared in two NFC title games.
Expectations for this season were heightened after the Packers' acquisition of former Dallas Cowboys All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons. And while the defense is playing at a championship level, the offense (LaFleur's specialty) struggled to do its part. Green Bay scored just 13 points during it's Week 9 loss to the Carolina Panthers and mustered just one score during Monday night's loss to Philadelphia.
Green Bay faces the New York Giants Sunday with a chance to get back on track in the playoff hunt.
