Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur and his team suffered a surprising loss to Cleveland Sunday.
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Matt LaFleur is in his seventh season as the Green Bay Packers head coach.
And after LaFleur didn’t receive a contract extension this summer, he’s undoubtedly in a “prove it” year.
LaFleur’s Packers didn’t prove a thing Sunday, with a shocking 13-10 loss to Cleveland.
Green Bay was an 8.0-point favorite, making this the Packers’ worst loss against the point spread since they fell to the New York Giants as a 9.0-point favorite in Week 5, 2022.
The Cleveland loss undoubtedly ranks among the worst defeats of the LaFleur-era.
Here are LaFleur’s top-five losses in regular season games only.
1. Detroit 20, Green Bay 16
Week 18, 2022
It was simple, really.
If the Packers defeated Detroit in their regular season finale, they’d reach the playoffs for a fourth straight year. The Lions, on the other hand, had already been eliminated from the postseason.
No problem, right?
Hardly.
Detroit played smarter, harder and better and ended the Packers’ playoff dreams with a shocking 20-16 win.
Green Bay’s four-game winning streak was snapped, it fell to 8-9 and missed the postseason for the first time since 2018.
“I think this is probably the lowest it’s been in my four years here of just understanding how close we were and how short of the goal that we came,” Packers wideout Allen Lazard said.
The Packers had been 27-3 in their last 30 meetings with Detroit at Lambeau Field. But the Lions’ victory served as a springboard to them winning the last two NFC North titles.
It was also the last game Aaron Rodgers played for the Packers.
“We don’t want them to go to the playoffs,” Detroit coach Dan Campbell said of the Packers.
They didn’t.
2. New Orleans 38, Green Bay 3
Week 1, 2021
Aaron Rodgers, who said he’s never play for the Packers again during a drama-filled offseason, looked nothing like the 2020 MVP against the Saints.
Rodgers finished with a dreadful passer rating of 36.8, the third-lowest of his career in a game he started. Rodgers was 15-of-28 for 133 yards, two interceptions and no touchdowns.
On the flip side, New Orleans quarterback Jameis Winston was extremely efficient, throwing five touchdowns and completing 70.0% of his passes. The Saints also ran for 172 yards and went 7-for-12 on third and fourth down conversions.
“They absolutely embarrassed us today,” LaFleur said afterwards. “You can’t do that against a well-coached and quality football team.
“Our guys are going to have to take a long, hard look in the mirror. It starts with myself. I obviously didn’t get these guys ready to play ball and that’s what happens when you go out there and play like that against a good football team.”
3. Cleveland 13, Green Bay 10
Week 3, 2025
This was an epic collapse.
Cleveland’s inept offense did nothing for most of the day and the Packers held a 10-0 lead inside of 4 minutes. But the Browns scored 13 points in the final 3:38 thanks to a series of Green Bay blunders.
A horrendous third down play call by LaFleur led to a Jordan Love interception and set up a short Cleveland touchdown. Brandon McManus had a potential, game-winning 43-yard field goal blocked. And Cleveland’s Andre Szmyt hit a 55-yard field goal as time expired to win the game.
The Packers, an 8.0-point favorite, wasted a golden opportunity to stay undefeated. How this affects Green Bay when postseason seeds are determined remains to be seen.
“It stings,” Green Bay cornerback Nate Hobbs said. “It’s just a testament to life – never take your foot off the gas, never get relaxed. You relax, you get too comfortable and that’s what happened.”
4. New York Giants 27, Green Bay 22
Week 5, 2022
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Matt LaFleur was the grumpiest man in Green Bay prior to this game.
LaFleur bemoaned the fact his Packers had to travel 4,000 miles to play a football game in London.
He didn’t care for the nine-hour plane ride. And he certainly didn’t like the fact his body clock would be messed with.
When asked point blank his thoughts on the trip, LaFleur said: “I’m not going to give you my honest answer. I’d rather refrain.”
If LaFleur was ornery before his Packers met the New York Giants, imagine how grouchy he was on the way home.
Green Bay wasted leads of 17-3 and 20-10 and eventually dropped a 27-22 decision to the Giants. The Packers, who were a 9-point favorite, were outscored, 17-2, in the second half.
This was Green Bay’s largest upset loss since Week 13, 2018, when it lost as a 13.5-point favorite to Arizona. Then-Packers coach Mike McCarthy was fired immediately after that defeat.
This game was also the first in what became a five-game losing streak for Green Bay.
“We’ve just got to be more consistent because there’s some moments where we look pretty good, but we have yet to put together a complete game as a team,” LaFleur said. “It’s like every game has been — one good half. That’s not good enough in this league. You’ve got to play every play like it’s your last, and if you don’t, you get your ass whipped.”
5. San Francisco 37, Green Bay 8
Week 12, 2019
The NFC’s game of the year was a complete dud — from Green Bay’s perspective anyhow.
San Francisco entered the game 9-1 and Green Bay was 8-2. The winner had the inside track for homefield throughout the postseason.
The 49ers proceeded to dominate the Packers physically, while executing better and turning the game into a rout.
The Packers gained just 60 first half yards, averaged only 1.76 yards per play and trailed, 23-0, at the break. Things never got better.
The win helped San Francisco eventually claim the NFC’s No. 1 seed in the playoffs, where it routed Green Bay again, 37-20, in the conference championship game.
The fact LaFleur’s team lost to the 49ers during the 2019 regular season wasn’t cause to sound the alarms. San Francisco was an elite outfit then.
What was remarkably disheartening for the Packers — who finished the regular season 13-3 — is that they weren’t even competitive.
“Disappointed in, with myself, with how we got outcoached and we got outplayed,” LaFleur said. “Bottom line. And it’s unacceptable and we’ve got to look at ourselves and there’s a lot to correct if we want to be the team we want to be.”