Packers' shocking blowout loss to Falcons should put coach Matt LaFleur on the hot seat
· Fox News
The Green Bay Packers finally opened Lambeau Field for the first time this regular season, where they hoped to make it 14 straight home openers where they’ve come away with a victory on Thursday night against a struggling Atlanta Falcons team.
Instead, the Packers were blown out by an 0-2 team on their home turf, and now a big question arises.
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Should head coach Matt LaFleur be on the hot seat?
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LaFleur signed a multi-year contract extension at the beginning of this year, which wasn’t considered a "prove-it deal," per ESPN. But what happened in this 35-14 loss certainly warms his seat as the Packers fall to 1-2 to start the year.
It wasn’t just this performance, either. In Week 1, a second-half collapse resulted in a Vikings victory to open the season. Then, the Packers were close to falling to the New York Jets on the road in a game they were heavily favored. It took overtime in rainy conditions to escape New Jersey with a 20-17 win.
As for Thursday night’s performance, it was more of the same that was seen in the first two weeks: a lack of diversity between the run and pass games, poor offensive line play and quarterback Jordan Love not being able to handle the pressure in his pocket.
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The sold-out Lambeau Field crowd was raining down boos and jeers from the stands throughout this contest, as Love and his receivers couldn’t get on the same page, drives stalled and the Falcons started to find their offensive spark now that Michael Penix Jr. was finally healthy enough to play.
Oh, and Bijan Robinson once again proved why he is one of those rare NFL talents with his ability to totally take over a game when he has the ball in his hands.
Before we get to the Falcons’ positives in this game, back to LaFleur’s situation in Green Bay. Since last year, including the Wild Card Round, the Packers are just 1-7 in their last eight contests. As the fan base collectively shakes their heads at the start of this season, and audibly shows their frustration at the first home game of the season, could the thought of keeping sustainability at the head coach position change in Green Bay?
LaFleur entered his eighth season with the Packers this year, and he is the only active head coach that has been with his team that long and not reached the Super Bowl. Yes, it’s still early in the season, but just food for thought.
On the other sideline, there were tons of smiles, and none more infectious than that of Robinson, who finished the game with 194 rushing yards and two touchdowns. All week long, the Packers preached stopping Robinson, understanding that’s exactly what happened in Weeks 1 and 2, when the Falcons struggled to get anything going on offense.
Well, Robinson torched this Packers defense with chunk runs, including a 55-yarder, and that also made life easier for Penix’s return under center.
The Falcons’ signal caller, whom they wished could’ve been healthy to start the year but hadn’t been fully recovered from his torn ACL in 2025, found his rhythm after opening the game with an interception on Atlanta’s first drive. The Falcons drew up quick passing plays for Penix to get going, and once the Packers had to respect Robinson’s running ability, play-action passes were Penix’s bread and butter.
Most of them went to Drake London, who also had his breakout game of the season. Like Robinson, he also had 194 yards, though through nine receptions, including a 68-yard catch-and-run that sealed the deal in the fourth quarter for the Falcons. He may not have had a touchdown, but this was the performance Penix needed after not finding anything with Cooper Rush in the first two games of the year.
For the Falcons, perhaps they simply needed competent quarterback play all along, and new head coach Kevin Stefanski can put together wins now that he has one in place, especially if the defense continues to play the way they did in an incredible performance.
But for the Packers, tough questions need to be asked already this year because it seems to be picking up where it left off in the worst ways possible.