Former NFL quarterback Kurt Benkert delivered a pointed critique of Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur on Thursday, comparing him to former Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera and questioning whether the Packers can win another NFC North title under his watch.
Benkert, who spent part of the 2021 season with Green Bay and now works as a football analyst and entrepreneur, posted the remarks four days after the Packers opened the 2026 season with a 39-22 loss at Minnesota.
“Matt LaFleur is just Carolina Panthers Riverboat Ron who happened to inherit a hall of fame QB for his first 4 years,” Benkert wrote.“Sometimes just enough, other times not quite enough.”
“I hope he can flip the script – if not, I don’t know if they’ll win another NFC North title under his lead.”
The comments quickly drew attention among Packers fans still digesting another blown lead. Green Bay led in the first half behind Jordan Love’s 81-yard touchdown pass to Christian Watson, then collapsed after a failed fourth-down sneak. The Vikings scored 29 unanswered points.
Love finished 21 of 42 for 387 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also lost a fumble. The Packers managed just 66 rushing yards and allowed Minnesota to pile up 39 points.
LaFleur is 76-41-1 in the regular season since taking over in 2019, one of the stronger winning percentages among active coaches. His postseason record is 3-6. He won the NFC North in each of his first three seasons, all with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.
Those three division titles remain the only ones of his tenure. Green Bay has not finished first in the North since Rodgers’ final years as the starter. The Packers went 8-9 in 2022, then 9-8, 11-6 and 9-7-1 with Love, making the playoffs three times but exiting in the Wild Card round twice and the divisional round once.
Rivera earned the “Riverboat Ron” nickname in 2013 after shifting from conservative fourth-down decisions to aggressive ones. He coached Carolina from 2011 to 2019, compiling a 76-63-1 regular-season record and going 3-4 in the playoffs. The Panthers won three straight NFC South titles from 2013 to 2015 and reached Super Bowl 50 with Cam Newton.
Rivera’s teams often looked strong in the regular season and fell short in January, a pattern Benkert invoked in his comparison. Rivera inherited a young Newton, who later won NFL MVP. LaFleur inherited Rodgers, a four-time MVP and future Hall of Famer who won two more MVPs in their first three seasons together.
The Packers went 39-10 in the regular season from 2019 to 2021 and reached the NFC championship game twice. They have not returned to that round since.
Benkert’s own Packers résumé was brief. He appeared in one game in 2021, kneeling twice at the end of a win over Chicago. He has since built a large following through film breakdowns and commentary.
Some replies accused him of holding a personal grudge. Others noted LaFleur’s regular-season success and Love’s development. One fan account pointed out that LaFleur never won an NFC title even with Rodgers, only reaching the conference championship.
The Packers are 0-1 and sit last in the NFC North. Chicago and Minnesota both opened 1-0. Green Bay visits the New York Jets on Sunday.
LaFleur has one year left on his contract. Team president Ed Policy has previously said he prefers not to have a coach or general manager enter a lame-duck season. After last season’s Wild Card loss to Chicago, questions about LaFleur’s future intensified.
His supporters point to three 13-win seasons, consistent playoff appearances and a winning culture after the Mike McCarthy era. Critics focus on fourth quarter collapses, conservative or mistimed calls in big moments, and the absence of a Super Bowl appearance.
The Packers have now dropped multiple games after holding double-digit leads in recent seasons. That trend formed part of Benkert’s earlier criticism this month, when he called for the organization to “clean house” after the Vikings loss.
Whether the latest comments change anything inside Lambeau Field remains unclear. LaFleur has survived similar waves of frustration before. The next test comes quickly on the road against a Jets team looking for its first win.
Green Bay’s offense showed explosive potential through Love and Watson. The defense and late-game execution did not. Those gaps are exactly what Benkert highlighted when he said LaFleur is sometimes just enough and other times not quite enough.
The Packers have 16 games left to prove the script can still be flipped.
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