The Packers’ wild-card collapse against the Bears on Saturday will force Green Bay to make a decision on Matt LaFleur’s future as head coach in the coming days, but LaFlaur didn’t want to talk about that in the immediate aftermath of the loss.
“Yeah, with all due respect to your question,” LaFleur told reporters, “now’s not the time for that. I mean, I’m just hurting for these guys. You know, I can only think about just what just happened, and there will be time for that.”
LaFleur, the Packers’ coach dating back to 2019, had them positioned for their first playoff win since 2023, with an 18-point lead built by halftime and the Chicago offense struggling to generate anything — especially when it kept failing to convert on fourth down — against the Green Bay defense.
But that quickly changed in the fourth quarter.
The Bears erupted for 25 points, and Caleb Williams threw a pair of touchdowns, including one to DJ Moore with 1:43 remaining.
Jordan Love, who threw for 323 yards and four touchdowns, drove Green Bay to the Chicago 23-yard line with around 20 seconds remaining, but when he couldn’t turn that final chance into a game-winning touchdown, the Packers dropped their fifth consecutive game — and this one was the most crushing of all during the streak.
Despite going 76-40-1 across his regular seasons as coach, LaFleur hasn’t been able to translate that into much postseason success, as his 3-6 mark features two trips to the NFC Championship game but nothing beyond that round.
Love vouched for LaFleur postgame Saturday, saying that he should remain head coach despite speculation that the Packers could decide to make a change.
NFL Network reported Saturday morning that LaFleur wasn’t coaching for his job and that the Packers planned to meet with him following the season to discuss extending his contract.
It’s unclear, though, if the second-half disaster that unfolded at Soldier Field changed the organization’s thinking.
“It means everything to me,” LaFleur said when asked about the Packers’ job. “This is the greatest organization in the world, in my opinion. It’s very humbling. I’m certainly disappointed right now, disappointed mostly for — well, not mostly — I’m disappointed for everybody that’s associated with the Green Bay Packers. I’m disappointed for our locker room. I’m disappointed for our fans. I’m disappointed for our leadership, all our employees, everybody involved with the Green Bay Packers right now.”
The Bears advanced to the divisional round behind their seventh fourth-quarter comeback victory of the season, with Williams bouncing back from two earlier interceptions in his postseason debut to deliver the pair of late touchdowns.
If the No. 3-seeded Eagles defeat the 49ers on Sunday, the Bears will face Philadelphia in the divisional round, and if No. 6-seeded San Francisco wins, Chicago will host the No. 5-seed Rams next weekend.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
