The Green Bay Packers were blown out on Thursday Night Football by the Atlanta Falcons, losing 35-14 and falling to 1-2 in the process. Let me rephrase: the Packers, despite home-field advantage, not only lost to a Falcons team that looked as bad as any in the NFL thus far, but they were utterly dominated. It was 17-7 Falcons at halftime. To put into perspective how bad that is, the Falcons had scored 16 points through their first eight quarters of football this season.
After their latest embarrassing loss, Packers fans are beyond fed up and are directing most of their frustration at Matt LaFleur. Here's why LaFleur is the person they want answers from.
Packers have not looked like a disciplined and prepared football team for a while
There's only so much that a head coach can control from the sidelines, but things like game management, preparedness and discipline are some of those things. Usually, the prepared and disciplined football teams are, at the very least, competent. Well, the Packers have lost seven of their last eight games dating back to last season, and it feels like a lack of preparation and discipline is a huge reason why.
Look at the statistic below. The Packers committed 22 accepted penalties in their first two games, matching the most penalties they've ever had through two games, and the last time this happened was in 1947 - nearly 80 years ago. They added six more to their tally on Thursday. Committing penalties, especially in large quantities, can lead to an absurd loss of yardage and momentum.
The Packers have committed 22 accepted penalties in two games this season.
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) September 20, 2026
Over the last 85 years (as far back as full penalty data is available), that matches the Packers' most accepted penalties through two games. It last happened in 1947, per ESPN Research.
Even beyond the penalties, what about the blown leads? In Week 1, the Packers were up 22-10 in the third quarter, yet allowed the Vikings, led by backup quarterback Carson Wentz, to score 29 straight unanswered points, turning a blowout in their favor into a blowout in the other direction in just over one quarter of football. What about the game before that? Remember when the Packers had leads of 21-9 and 27-16 in the fourth quarter and still managed to lose? Obviously, players have to play better, but how can you see this happen repeatedly and not even think about blaming the head coach?
Not everything that's gone wrong this season is on LaFleur. The offensive line is an unmitigated disaster, their running game is non-existent, Jordan Love isn't playing his best football, and the Packers' roster is not talented enough. With that being said, the Packers haven't looked like a winning football team in a long time, and the expectation in Green Bay is to win consistently. LaFleur isn't helping them get in the right direction.
Some Packers fans didn't think Matt LaFleur deserved his recent extension
LaFleur was universally beloved by Packers fans at the beginning of his tenure because they kept winning. He was signed to a four-year deal to be their head coach initially, and went a combined 39-10 in his first three years, leading the Packers to back-to-back NFC Championship Games in those years. Extending LaFleur beyond those first four years was a no-brainer, and something Packers fans were very much behind.
Since signing that first extension ahead of the 2022 campaign, though, things haven't been the same. The Packers went 8-9 in 2022 and went 37-30-1 from 2022 through 2025. They went to the Divisional Round once and lost in back-to-back years in the Wild Card Round. So, the Packers regressed in every way in LaFleur's second contract, yet Green Bay still gave him a multi-year extension ahead of the 2026 campaign.
In the eyes of many Packers fans, LaFleur didn't deserve another extension given how his second contract went. Sure enough, a lot of what's gone wrong in recent years, is only getting worse in 2026.
Packers fans are justified in wanting change, but given how the Packers are run and that LaFleur just signed an extension, they probably shouldn't get their hopes up.
Add us as a preferred source on Google