Epic meltdown crashes Matt LaFleur, Packers back to earth
This is a gut-check moment for the Packers head coach in Year 7. Also inside: Kyle Shanahan's coaching job, Cam Heyward, Caleb Williams, Coltsmania.
On the bright side, Matt LaFleur won’t be grilled about his inability to win a big game. Facing the Cleveland Browns in Week 3 of the regular season isn’t quite an NFC North prize fight in December or a reunion with old nemesis Kyle Shanahan in January.
All talk of going undefeated is officially squashed, too. The Browns were sure to dunk all over Rasheed Walker’s mid-week slip of the tongue. The final 3 minutes and 45 seconds were such a horror show for the Green Bay Packers that the team’s ultra-animated head coach hardly reacted when a 55-yard kick split the uprights to secure a 13-10 defeat. LaFleur, in shock, calmly removed his headset.
A handful of September wake-up calls come to mind through this organization’s 33 years of bliss at the quarterback position. The defending champs in 1997 were stunned 10-9 by Philadelphia when Ryan Longwell’s 28-yard attempt sailed wide right. In 2003, the Packers christened their $295 million Lambeau Field renovation with Brett Favre’s four-pick disaster vs. Minnesota. Two weeks later, the Packers melted in the 102-degree Arizona heat vs. the shells of Jeff Blake and Emmitt Smith. And into the Aaron Rodgers era, 2014 stands out. That season, the Packers were KO’d by Seattle 36-16 in the opener and then manufactured all of one touchdown in a humbling loss at Detroit.
The NFL season is a marathon. All three of those editions transformed into legitimate contenders.
The ’97 crew fell one drive short vs. the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII. The ’03 team fell victim to “Fourth and 26” in the divisional round to Philly. And 2014? That NFC Championship — a rematch in Seattle — is a fever dream most loyalists have forever eliminated from their memories.
There’s obviously ample time for LaFleur, Jordan Love and the Packers to recover from the events of Sept. 21, 2025.
This defeat, however, more ghastly than them all.