When the Green Bay Packers hired Matt LaFleur as their head coach last offseason, many were skeptical of him being able to turn around the franchise. After finishing his first season at the position, it's safe to say that the Packers made the right choice.
Prior to Matt LaFleur arriving, Green Bay went two straight seasons of missing the playoffs under Mike McCarthy. In LaFleur's first season, the Packers compiled a 13-3 record and secured the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
After defeating the Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional Round, Green Bay was eliminated by the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game. Despite the defeat, the first season with Matt LaFleur calling the shots can be considered a success.
On the other hand, the first-year head coach did show that he still has a couple of things to improve upon for next season. In light of that, here is how Matt LaFleur must improve in his second season as a head coach.
Address the issues with the run defense
Before becoming the head coach of the Packers, LaFleur has spent his entire career as an offensive assistant. Just the year before he was named as Green Bay's head coach, LaFleur spent one season as the offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans.
Even with his offensive background, Matt LaFleur has to give his undivided attention to the defense too since he's a head coach now. More specifically, the young head coach needs to address the run defense in the offseason.
Last offseason, Green Bay spent a boatload of money to sign Adrian Amos, Za'Darius Smith, and Preston Smith. As a result, the Packers' pass defense was vastly better than they were in 2018.
At the same time, the defense struggled to contain opposing team's rushing attacks; allowing 120.1 yards per game (23rd in the NFL). Their poor run defense would trickle into the playoffs as San Francisco gashed them for 286 yards in the Conference Championship Round.
Conversely, Matt LaFleur needs to make it a focus of his to get the run defense playing better in 2020. That begins with figuring out what to do with Blake Martinez as he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Utilize Aaron Jones more in the rushing attack
Immediately after Matt LaFleur accepted the head coaching gig for the Packers, everyone was curious to see how he'd cooperate with Aaron Rodgers. There's no doubt that LaFleur and Rodgers were able to get on the same page in their first season together.
However, as good as Aaron Jones played in 2019, he wasn't utilized nearly enough on the ground. The dynamic, third-year running back was given 236 carries this season. That was good enough for 15th most among running backs in the NFL.
Despite the limited amount of attempts, Jones still garnered 1,084 yards and tied Derrick Henry for the most rushing touchdowns with 16. Over the course of the offseason, Matt LaFleur needs to configure more ways for Jones to get the ball in the running game.
On a positive note, Matt LaFleur did get Jones involved as a receiver in his offense. But if LaFleur wants to enhance his offense even further, Jones needs to see a heavier usage in the rushing attack next season.
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