Shoutouts & Callouts

This week Green Bay Packers president Ed Policy faced the first major decision of his tenure. 

Much like the Packers’ play calling and execution in the second half of last Saturday’s playoff loss to the Chicago Bears, Policy appears to have played it safe and conservative and, in the process, likely cost the Packers a legitimate shot at winning a Super Bowl over the next several years.

Policy had two options after the Packers were outscored 25-6 in the fourth quarter and blew yet another game that could have, and should have, been won against its despised neighbors to the south. With head coach Matt LaFleur entering the final year of his contract, Policy could have either let LaFleur walk after another playoff disappointment or work on an extension with a coach that has brought the team to the postseason in six of his first seven seasons at the helm.

Policy, according to reports, is going with the latter. With that, you might as well head to Vegas now to place your bets on the Packers’ chances in 2026. If given a line that has the Packers at 11 1/2 wins or a playoff run that ends either in the NFC Championship or the Super Bowl, throw the mortgage on the under on both accounts. 

It would be one thing to make a rash decision to part ways with LaFleur solely on the basis of last Saturday’s collapse — even though it took a place alongside the Elway helicopter, Young to Owens, Fourth and 26 and the Bostick Botch as one of the most painful experiences in Packer playoff history. However, the issues surrounding the Packers this year were more systemic than that, and repeated failures by LaFleur — both protecting big leads this season and overall in the playoffs — should have been enough to bring his time in Titletown to an end. The Meltdown at the Midway, Part Deux shouldn’t have been viewed as a singular unfortunate event, rather as the coup de grâce.

This take is a departure from my typical stance, which favors patience over action, however enough has happened over the past five weeks to sway my opinion. 

Let’s consider the facts, starting with the 2025 season. Nine wins was the absolute floor of the team’s potential this year, considering the talent on the Packers’ roster and a relatively weak schedule. 

Green Bay went 1-5 against playoff teams this year. That would have been 0-6 if Tyler Loop hadn’t yanked a chip shot field goal on the final play of the regular season to cost Baltimore a playoff spot and send Pittsburgh to the postseason instead. The offense went MIA against Philadelphia and Carolina and the Packers blew two-score leads twice against the Bears and once more against Denver. 

That’s the second part of what makes the decision to retain LaFleur maddening. Yes, the Bears had a historic penchant for making improbable comebacks this year, and the Packers fell victim to that — twice. But the Packers also pulled a similar choke job against Cleveland and its anemic offense. 

To quote Chris Berman, “Once is a mistake. Twice is a trend. Three times is evidence.”

To be sure, the Packers were hit hard by injury over the course of the season and would have been a much different outfit going into the playoffs with a healthy Micah Parsons, Tucker Kraft, Zach Tom and Devonte Wyatt. However, the Packers still could have, and should have, beat Chicago without these players. 

There were plenty of positives. Jordan Love continued to show he’s a high level quarterback, despite a constant revolving door of receivers who were in and out of the lineup due to injury. LaFleur deserves praise for that, and for keeping the Packers offense a competent unit during the times in which Love was injured and Malik Willis was called on in relief. 

However, success in the NFL ultimately comes down to the ability to win the money downs and an ability to finish out games in the fourth quarter. On Saturday, the Bears had 19 third downs and converted there, or on a subsequent fourth-down chance, 12 times. Green Bay was just 2 of 9 on third downs in the second half, while not attempting a fourth-down conversion. 

As for winning the fourth quarter. The Packers ranked in the bottom quarter of the league — 25th of 32 —in fourth-quarter points allowed (133) during the regular season. And that’s not counting what happened last Saturday night. 

Simply put, the Packers struggled to play winning football this season at the most important times of the game. That’s not a player issue. That’s a coaching issue.

More than just this season, consider what has happened in the six postseason losses during LaFleur’s tenure. Green Bay was blown out by San Francisco in 2019, made the wildly curious call to kick a field goal down eight against Tampa Bay in 2020 only to let Tom Brady melt down the clock en route to another Super Bowl. There was an offensive no-show against the 49ers as a No. 1 seed in 2021, followed by yet another blown second-half lead at San Francisco two years ago, and another anemic offensive effort last year in a wild card loss to the Eagles. 

Especially considering the Packers haven’t won the NFC North in the last four seasons, it’s an entirely fair question to ask if LaFleur is capable of winning the big one?

The question that often gets overlooked when fans and talking heads alike pine for a coaching change is if there is a better alternative available. In this case, that could have almost certainly been argued in the affirmative after John Harbaugh was let go after 17 successful seasons in Baltimore. 

Not only is Harbaugh a proven winner with a Super Bowl ring, it would be easy to assume the Packers’ job would have been rather enticing to him — especially considering the pieces on the Packers’ offense aren’t too dissimilar to what he had with Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers and company in Baltimore.

Even if LaFleur stays next year — as all signs seem to indicate as of press time — there need to be significant changes on the staff. For starters, Rich Bisaccia needs to go. He certainly livened the special teams upon his arrival but, aside from Daniel Whelan finishing the year as one of the best punters in the league, that unit has simply not performed. 

Much like calling for LaFleur’s departure, this goes well beyond Brandon McManus missing two field goals and an extra point on Saturday. Remember, if not for a blocked field goal against Cleveland and a blocked extra point returned for a defensive two-point conversion against Dallas, the Packers would have likely won those games too. And then there was Romeo Doubs’ onside kick muff during the first meltdown in Chicago that looked all too familiar to the Bostick Botch. 

The defense will likely change one way or another with Jeff Hafley entering the offseason as one of the hottest head coaching candidates on the market. Even so, that unit’s underperformance in the wake of the season-ending injury to Parsons in Week 14 cannot go without scrutiny. 

All of these signs pointed to a time for change in Green Bay. However, by keeping LaFleur, Policy signaled that being a good football team is good enough. That’s simply the wrong answer.

Green Bay is not called Titletown for nothing. We don’t hang banners for division titles or go on profanity-laced rants when we finally beat our division rivals — acting like we haven’t been successful for four-plus decades.  

In Green Bay, Lombardi Trophies are what matter. It’s what makes greats into legends and coaches into the names of roadways. 

Judging both by the 2025 season and the Packers' recent playoff failures, there won’t be a LaFleur Lane in Green Bay any time soon.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].