Matt LaFleur is in his second season as Green Bay Packers head coach. Thus far, through 29 games, LaFleur has a 23-6 record. He has won two NFC North division titles and has an impressive 10-1 record against division opponents. Yet despite this impressive record, LaFleur has gotten little recognition for NFL Coach of the Year.

Here are six reasons why LaFleur should be considered for this award:

1. He Turned Around the Packers Culture

The team LaFleur took over was in disarray and had endured two losing seasons in 2017 and 2018. The Packers made the playoffs eight consecutive seasons under Mike McCarthy, but by 2018, McCarthy’s tenure in Green Bay had run its course and the team was no longer responding to the way he did things.

In addition, McCarthy had not made sufficient adjustments to his offense in the last few years of his tenure in Green Bay and that had grown stale as well.

The culture changed almost immediately when LaFleur arrived. He made physical changes to the locker room and facilities, but also made a dramatic introductory speech to the team that lasted 20 minutes and clearly demonstrated a new atmosphere and culture had arrived.

“They bought into that right away,” former Packers offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga explained. “And to me, that set the tone for the rest of the way. It was just something about the way his first talk went. You left the room believing.”

LaFleur also increased communication between the coaching staff and the players and established a leadership council that was effective and increased the communication and harmony on the team.

2. LaFleur Helped Revive Aaron Rodgers

When LaFleur first took the job, the big question most media members were asking was whether the new, young, head coach would be able to work well with quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

There were many reports of tension between McCarthy and Rodgers in 2018 and the quarterback was earning a reputation, deserved or not, for being difficult to work with.

LaFleur put those concerns to bed quickly. He worked with Rodgers, allowing his quarterback to call audibles at the line of scrimmage, something he didn’t previously allow in his offense. He also ran an offense in 2019 that contained some of the things Rodgers did well under McCarthy in addition to the new system he was implementing.

Entering this season, the consensus was that Rodgers was in decline. This year, that talk has been put to bed as the Packers quarterback is enjoying his best season since 2014.

LaFleur installed more of his offense this season and Rodgers was fully on board. The two have worked well together and the results have shown on the field with Rodgers becoming one of the leading candidates to win NFL MVP this year.

3. His Play Calling Is Excellent

The Packers head coach is also the play caller on offense and the offense has thrived under LaFleur’s leadership.

The scripted plays at the beginning of games have worked extremely well with the Packers scoring on their opening drive in their first eight games of the season this year. The offense is also first in the league in points scored and second overall in yards gained.

Rodgers has praised his coach’s play-calling acumen. In October, he told reporters, “I think the flow of the calls has been really important to our success,” Rodgers said. “I can’t underscore that enough. It’s really been a good flow of the calls with Matt.”

4. LaFleur Kept His Team Together During This Crazy Season

This has been anything but a normal season for all NFL teams and yet LaFleur has kept the Packers unified and cohesive through all the difficulties. There was no actual offseason with OTAs and minicamps canceled due to Covid-19. There were no preseason games either. Training camp was shorter and featured fewer actual practices in pads.

Despite these obstacles, the Packers stayed together as a team and were prepared for their season opener against the Vikings. The team remained close and cohesive and whatever LaFleur and his coaching staff did in the virtual meetings this offseason, it clearly worked.

5. The Packers Have Exceeded Expectations This Year

It seems like a long time ago, but before this season started, most experts were convinced the Packers would regress from last year’s 13-3-0 record. The experts claimed that the Packers overachieved in 2019, they weren’t that good and would regress. They wouldn’t be able to replicate their success last season in close games (8-1) and that they didn’t add talent at key positions like wide receiver, inside linebacker and the defensive line.

The Vegas preseason win total for the Packers varied between 8 and 9.5. With three games to go, the Packers have already exceeded that and they could still match last year’s record or come very close to it.

6. The Packers Overcame Injuries

Injuries are a part of the game in football but this season, the Packers have been hit hard by injuries. There is even more turnover because of Covid-19 which has caused several players to miss significant time has caused more turnover on the practice squad and at the bottom of every team’s roster.

Key offensive players have missed time. Wide receiver Davante Adams missed two full games and part of another due to injury. Allen Lazard, who started the season as WR2, missed six games because of a core muscle injury. The Packers top running back, Aaron Jones, has missed two games, backup Jamaal Williams sat out one and third stringer A.J. Dillon was on the Covid-19 reserve list for five contests. Tyler Ervin has also missed several games due to injury.

The offensive line has also been hit hard by injuries but continues to grade out as one of the best units in the league. Starting guard Lane Taylor was lost for the season in Week 1. All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari missed three games while center Corey Linsley, who was playing at a Pro Bowl level this season, has missed two complete games and will miss a few more. Billy Turner and Rick Wagner have missed a few games and played through several injuries. Elgton Jenkins has started games at tackle, center and guard this season. Despite all this, the line’s play remains elite.

On defense, the Packers have been without their best defensive lineman, Kenny Clark, for more than three games and without starting cornerback Kevin King for five games. Christian Kirksey, the team’s most experienced inside linebacker, has missed five games as well.  

Despite all these injuries, the team continues to win. The next man up mentality has truly been working for the Packers and LaFleur deserves credit for that.

For all these reasons, Matt LaFleur should be a strong candidate for NFL Coach of the Year.