The Green Bay Packers suffered a crushing loss in the Wild Card round against their bitter rival, the Chicago Bears. Matt LaFleur’s team was up by as much as 18 points in the second half and 15 heading into the fourth quarter.
Micah Parsons Came To the Defense Of Matt LaFleur
Caleb Williams and company, however, had other plans, outscoring the Packers 25-6 in the final 15 minutes to win before a raucous Soldier Field crowd 31-27. The collapse has led to calls for LaFleur, who has a 3-6 playoff record, to be fired. Micah Parsons subsequently responded to this speculation with a definitive statement on his head coach.
LaFleur has now coached for seven years in Green Bay, leading the team to the postseason six times during this tenure. While the Packers have been a beacon of stability during this time, successfully transitioning from the Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love era, there are questions about whether their head coach can lead this franchise back to the Super Bowl.
The Packers looked poised to take that good-to-great step for much of 2025, but injuries and inconsistent play began to emerge in the latter half. The Packers subsequently lost their last five games, including the crushing defeat in Chicago. This all happened despite Love finishing the year ranked fourth in PFSN’s NFL QB Impact Metric (B+) and playing well yesterday.
This losing streak began the same day the Packers’ superstar defensive end tore his ACL against the Denver Broncos on December 14. During the team’s locker room cleanout, Parsons gave his head coach a ringing endorsement that included an eye-opening warning.
“I’ve had my fair share of coaches and people I’ve been around, and Matt’s one of the best guys I’ve been around since I’ve been in this league. I reached out to him when I started seeing this, and I said, ‘When I agreed to come here, you were part of the reason’…
You could get spoiled with good coaching and good people, and you don’t realize it until they’re gone. I don’t want to be at that point where we realize ‘damn, we let such a great coach go.’”
Micah Parsons with a strong endorsement of Packers coach Matt LaFleur.
“I reached out to him when I started seeing this and I said, ‘When I agreed to come here, you were part of the reason.’” pic.twitter.com/f8dNblb9Fc
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) January 12, 2026
Early reports indicate that the Packers are working to extend LaFleur, whose current deal expires after the 2026 season.
This postgame message from Parsons, who had a fantastic first season in Green Bay, certainly helps this cause for a franchise that expects to contend for Super Bowls with this core.
Despite the sub-.500 playoff record, LaFleur is 79-46-1 overall with the Packers and would almost certainly be hired by another franchise if let go. Parsons’ comments ultimately reflect a team still has their coach’s back.
