Caleb Williams and head coach Ben Johnson helped the Chicago Bears put together an incredible fourth-quarter comeback, defeating their bitter rivals, the Green Bay Packers, 31-27 on a cold Saturday night at Soldier Field in Chicago.
After watching the Packers seemingly fall apart as the game went on, a former Packers quarterback aimed his criticism at Matt LaFleur.
Matt LaFleur’s Future With Packers Will Be Uncertain
Former NFL quarterback Kurt Benkert made a brief statement about what he saw on his TV.
Benkert, who played for the Packers, posted on X, “This is 100% on LaFleur.”
This is 100% on LaFleur.
— Kurt Benkert (@KurtBenkert) January 11, 2026
LaFleur and the Packers entered the third quarter with a 21-6 lead. But Williams and the Bears’ offense put up 25 fourth-quarter points. Packers field goal kicker Brandon McManus missed two field goals and a point-after, too.
“Terrible timeout usage,” Benkert added in his complaint about LaFleur. “Terrible second half gameplan. Blown 21-3 lead. Taking the ball out of Love’s hands all 3rd quarter. Get him out of here.”
Bill Simmons, who hosts “The Bill Simmons Podcast” on Ringer, wasn’t impressed with LaFleur and the Packers, either. Simmons posted on X, “Matt LaFleur’s second half has to be on the short list of worst playoff coaching performances this century.”
NFL analytics expert Warren Sharp offered up some interesting statistics during and after the game.
As the Packers were playing in the fourth quarter, Sharp posted on X, “no idea what Matt LaFleur is trying to do in the 2nd half … up 21-3 with the ball to start the half … 4 possessions and a net of 9 yards … 0.64 yards per play … punt … punt … punt … punt”.
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After the game ended, Sharp pointed toward how LaFleur’s offense just didn’t perform well down the stretch.
Sharp wrote, “story of the game from GB was how Matt LaFleur’s offense wilted … how their first 4 drives of the second half, up 21-3, gained 9(!) total yards and resulted in 4 punts … but also must mention the Packers terrible defense … the Bears never punted once … 445 yards of offense allowed”.
story of the game from GB was how Matt LaFleur’s offense wilted
how their first 4 drives of the second half, up 21-3, gained 9(!) total yards and resulted in 4 punts
but also must mention the Packers terrible defense
the Bears never punted once
445 yards of offense allowed
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) January 11, 2026
While those statistics are something for Packers fans to maybe not look at (but Bears fans will), ESPN’s Pat McAfee, who hosts “The Pat McAfee Show” on the network, offered a thought about what the future might hold for LaFleur.
“What will the ripple effects of tonight’s game be? New era in GB coming?” McAfee posted on X.
What will the ripple effects of tonight’s game be?
New era in GB coming? https://t.co/fmVNHe4P4f
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 11, 2026
All of that, including a Packers’ meltdown on offense in the fourth quarter, will leave LaFleur and the Packers open for a lot of criticism after Saturday night’s game. There is no love lost between LaFleur and Bears head coach Ben Johnson. After the game, both coaches shared a quick handshake, and LaFleur headed to the locker room.
There’s going to be a lot of people questioning LaFleur’s play-calling in that fourth quarter, too.
