There are two Matt LaFleurs, and they're two entirely different persons.
There's 'underdog with nothing to lose Matt LaFleur,' which is creative, bold, and makes his personnel better, and there's 'I'm already winning so let's play prevent defense and not get another first down all game Matt LaFleur,' who's not a cool dude at all.
For too long, Packers fans have suffered from the second one while begging for the first to show up, especially in big moments. However, there's a perfect opportunity for the good LaFleur to make a cameo on Sunday.
Ben Johnson has lil bro'd him and disrespected him way too many times. That's why it's about time LaFleur puts on the mad scientist rope and shows just why he was once considered to be one of the brightest offensive minds in football.
Matt LaFleur must redeem himself by beating Ben Johnson
Johnson is 2-1 against LaFleur as a head coach and 7-2 overall, dating back to his days as an offensive coordinator. That includes a heartbreaking loss in the Wild Card round last season, with the bad LaFleur showing his ugly face in the second half.
The Bears will travel to Lambeau Field without Caleb Williams, giving the Packers a shot at redemption. They already know how to get the best of them, even beating them without Micah Parsons, before LaFleur's conservative play-calling and terrible clock management came back to haunt him.
The Packers' offensive line should be better with Kevin Zeitler making his debut and Laken Tomlinson getting more reps with his new teammates. And with Tyrique Stevenson looking like a liability again this season, Matthew Golden and Christian Watson could feast with explosive plays if the play-action game is there.
Packers fans are running out of patience with the head coach. His 'run-run-pass' offense has become vanilla, predictable, stagnant, and just boring to watch. But that's not the case when he's 'F you, I'm an offensive psycho Matt LaFleur,' the good LaFleur. That's the guy who needs to show up on Sunday.
This team has failed to establish the run for way too long, and it might be a personnel issue. It's on good coaches and play-schemers to maximize his personnel's strengths, and that was supposed to be the guy the Packers hired to replace Mike McCarthy and get the team back to the top.
Will he really stand there with his arms crossed while Ben Johnson openly admits he doesn't respect him and doesn't care for the Packers? Will he look down and dodge him in the aisles like a middle-school kid who's running away from his bully? Or will he finally stand up straight, chest out, chin up, and give his nemesis a run for his money?
All wins count the same, but divisional games are special. This team could use a motivation boost, and nothing like reminding the Bears what's what to get the fans to believe again.
We're begging you, Matt. Get in your bag.
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