The Green Bay Packers have served as one of the most-stable organizations in the NFL throughout the Matt LaFleur era.
That foundation was cratered in a 31-27 loss against the Chicago Bears in the NFC Wild Card matchup on Saturday – and all of the cracks were exposed in spectacular fashion.
The Packers had a 21-3 lead at halftime, but that's not even the worst part. Green Bay had a first-and-10 with 3:16 left in the fourth quarter up 27-24 -- and yet the Bears scored the game-winning TD with 1:43 remaining and a timeout to spare. A team that started 9-3-1 lost five straight games to end the season -- and the Bears now have the upper-hand in the rivalry.
What changes might be in store for LaFleur and the Packers -- who went from Super Bowl hopeful to wild-card exit for the second straight season?
How Matt LaFleur's clock management cost Packers
How do you ignore the time-management mistakes in this loss? The Packers blew a three-score lead -- and the game management early in the second half opened the door for the comeback.
Consider Green Bay's first four drives of the second half. That included three three-and-outs, and the Packers managed just one first down. Green Bay totaled nine yards on those drives with four rushing attempts for five yards. The Bears managed to cut the lead to 21-16 at that point.
Jordan Love threw a 23-yard TD pass to Matthew Golden to extend the lead to 27-16, but a missed extra point opened the door for a second Chicago comeback in four weeks, and Caleb Williams took advantage.
Then, there is the next-to last series. Josh Jacobs was stopped for no gain on first down, and the Bears took their second timeout. Love threw an incomplete pass on second down, then Green Bay took a timeout. Then, the Packers took a delay of game -- and on third-and-15 Love threw an incomplete pass. A missed field goal by Brandon McManus gave the Bears the ball back.
MORE: How Brandon McManus' missed field goal doomed Packers
All of this contributed to the loss, and it deserves to be criticized. Love led the Packers to a desperation drive to the Chicago 28-yard line in the final 1:43, but he fumbled the snap on the final play of the game before throwing an incomplete pass as time expired.
Will Matt LaFleur coach Green Bay next season?
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported before the game that LaFleur will meet with Packers' management to discuss his future and the expectation is a contract extension will be reached. The result against the Bears reportedly would not be a determining factor.
LaFleur is 76-40-1 since taking over as the Packers' coach in 2019 -- and that includes two appearances in the NFC championship game. That was with Aaron Rodgers, when LaFleur had a 47-19-1 record in the regular season and 2-3 record in the playoffs. Since Love took over, Green Bay is 29-21-1 with a 1-3 record in the playoffs.
Matt LaFleur coaching record
| YEAR | WINS | LOSSES | TIES | POST. W | POST. L |
| 2019 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2020 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2021 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2022 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2025 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| TOTALS | 76 | 40 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
Will this playoff collapse influence Green Bay's decision on LaFleur's future?
Packers CEO Ed Policy expressed support for LaFleur, and Green Bay did have major injuries to star linebacker Micah Parsons -- who was acquired in an offseason blockbuster trade with Dallas -- and tight end Tucker Kraft that altered how Green Bay looked in the first half of the season.
Yet the defense allowed 27.5 points per game in four games without Parsons. Defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley will be a candidate for head coaching vacancies, and special teams coach Rich Bisaccia has to be on the hot seat. McManus missed two field goals -- albeit one from 55 yards -- and an extra point. Poor special teams led to a regular-season loss at Cleveland and a tie with Dallas. When is enough, in fact, enough?
Unless there is a mutual parting of ways, LaFleur is likely back for 2026 -- but there will be more urgency than ever in Green Bay. Minnesota, Detroit and Chicago have won the NFC North each of the last three seasons since Rodgers left. Any psychological advantage against those division rivals from the Rodgers era is gone now.
It's not going to be any easier watching Rodgers on Monday with the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Houston Texans. Given the nature of the Bears' comeback, an extension is risky. LaFleur will need to deliver.
What's next for Jordan Love?
Love played well in his return from a concussion suffered against the Bears in Week 16 -- but the performance was not entirely efficient. He finished 24 of 46 for 323 yards and four TDs. Williams finished 24 of 48 for 361 yards, two TDs and two interceptions -- and he saved the criticism of first-year coach Ben Johnson for a series of bad fourth-down decisions. Still, Williams is now 3-2 against the Packers with a playoff win.
MORE: Where Jordan Love ranks on list of most passing TDs in a playoff game
Love is 1-3 in the postseason, and he has three years left on a monster four-year, $220 million extension. Love has walked the line with being an elite quarterback, but to permanently be put in that class you have to deliver in the postseason -- especially against a division rival. That's life as a franchise quarterback in the NFL.
Will Micah Parsons be ready for Week 1?
This is going to be a talking point in the offseason. Parsons suffered a torn ACL in Week 15 at Denver, and that changed the entire tone of the Packers' season. He had 12.5 sacks in his first season in Green Bay and elevated the entire defense. Yet his absence exposed the Packers' lack of production at cornerback. Green Bay had just four sacks in four games without Parsons, and Lukas Van Ness had the only sack in the loss against the Bears.
Green Bay does not have a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, so general manager Brian Gutekunst will have to be creative in making upgrades in the offseason to build around Parsons.
That is the least of the Packers' concerns right now. It will be very interesting to see what comes of the meeting with LaFleur on Sunday -- and whether or not this Bears' loss weighs in.
Either way, 2026 could be a make-or-break year for that foundation.