Coaching carousel leaves Matt LaFleur with no excuse not to get over the hump in 2025

The Green Bay Packers are painfully close to getting over the hump.

Nobody can scoff at 11-6 in the NFC North, easily football's hardest division. Jordan Love looks the part of a franchise quarterback, while Green Bay finished top-five in both offensive yards gained and defensive yards allowed. The pieces are in place, and all the evidence backs up Green Bay as a bonafide contender.

That said, after another premature postseason exit, pressure is mounting on Matt LaFleur and company. The Packers are no longer the young upstarts making waves after Aaron Rodgers' unceremonious exit. Green Bay has established itself as a threat, which comes with more burdensome expectations.

If the Packers fall short of the NFC Championship Game for a third straight season in 2025, folks will begin to question LaFleur, Brian Gutekunst, and Green Bay's entire decision-making apparatus. NFL fandom is cutthroat and unforgiving. The Packers are a historic organization and thus, when the team is good, postseason results need to follow.

All the stars are aligning for Green Bay in 2025. The path to winning the division and potentially the entire NFC has seldom been so clear, but that clarity is a double-edged sword. Success is the baseline — a natural outcome. Failure in the face of strong odds, however, can breed contempt.

Packers, Matt LaFleur need to put up or shut up in 2025 season

The NFC North, the most fearsome division in football this season, will look remarkably different in 2025. The Detroit Lions are still talent-rich with a widely respected head coach in Dan Campbell, but it's hard to tell how to team will look without Ben Johnson or Aaron Glenn, two of the most respected coordinators in football (and now, rival head coaches). The Minnesota Vikings, meanwhile, are expected to transition from Sam Darnold to J.J. McCarthy under center. It's exceedingly rare for rookie quarterbacks to lead contenders.

Green Bay's two largest obstacles are about to take a tumble. The aforementioned Ben Johnson does elevate the Chicago Bears' profile at the bottom of the division, but it's hard to imagine Chicago taking so drastic a leap as to meaningfully threaten the Packers.

With two years of solid, winning experience under their belt with Love at the command, the Packers are poised for an ascent. LaFleur has earned his reputation as a play-calling whiz, and Green Bay's supporting cast around Love remains (relatively) inexpensive, which should allow the front office to build out the roster. Detroit is going to begin the season as favorites in the division, but we know the perils of losing one great coordinator, much less two. The Packers are running it back with a strong foundation and plenty of star talent. It all adds up on paper.

That said, the Packers need to deliver on the preseason hype and take advantage of this unique window of opportunity. Gutekunst and the front office need to hammer out the offensive line, solidify the support system around Love, and operate as a team with Super Bowl aspirations. The Eagles aren't going away. The NFC North will be easier, not easy. But the Packers, for the first time since Rodgers' departure, really have a shot. Hopefully they go all-in.