We're now a quarter down into Matt LaFleur's first season as head coach of the Green Bay Packers. If you ask Green Bay fans what they think about this season so far, they'll say that it has been an interesting ride under the rookie head coach.
They have a superb winning record to start the season and are looking like heavy favorites to come out of the NFC and play at Super Bowl LIV. LaFleur definitely has the talent to help him succeed on that end.
However, has he been the right man that Packers Nation has been waiting for? By the looks of things, it seems like the Green Bay' front office was right on the money with their new chief strategist on the sidelines.
The biggest question mark surrounding the Packers ahead of LaFleur's debut season was his relationship with Aaron Rodgers. The Packers' QB1 is the ever-reliable source of TD's and passing yards despite the team struggling to reach the playoffs during Mike McCarthy's final years with the team.
Fans wondered if Rodgers would listen to a rookie head coach who was only four years his senior. There were times when it seemed that they wouldn't jell together.
However, that's exactly what they did as they won four of their first five games. The two have seemingly sorted out their issues and are playing fantastic football as quarterback and coach.
The other great thing LaFleur has brought to the Packers' offense is the running game. There wasn't much running done during McCarthy's time at the helm and he chose to focus on unleashing bombs through Rodgers.
While the Packers are still a pass-first team, they can now rely on their running game to bring them some much-needed touchdowns to close out games. They've completed eight rushing touchdowns for 465 running yards, a much better output compared to last year's numbers of 15 touchdowns over 16 weeks of football.
One of the key components of his successes on the field is Aaron Jones. The 24-year-old runner has been a revelation for the team. He's the main source of the team's rushing touchdowns and the majority of the team's rushing yards.
In fact, he was probably the sole reason why the Packers managed to outmuscle the Dallas Cowboys in their Week 5 meeting. His touchdowns helped the team scrape past the defense.
Lastly, the team has been united, playing great football together. LaFleur personally believes that the team's connection is helping them perform well. And the win-loss record doesn't lie.
It's going to be a wild season for the Packers if they do make the Super Bowl in LaFleur's first year. However, it wouldn't be that shocking. After all, Matt LaFleur has proven himself to be a very capable coach.
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