By Eric Goska
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| Under head coach Matt LaFleur, the Packers have won 15 of their last 20 regular-season road games. (screenshot from NFL Game Pass) |
Forget TomTom or Garmin.
Matt LaFleur may be the best option when it comes to
successfully navigating the road.
The Packers head coach saw his team down the Chicago Bears
24-14 at Soldier Field in Week 6. For LeFleur, it was merely the latest in an
ever-rising number of wins away from Lambeau Field.
Throughout the last half century – and likely long before
that – the best teams found ways to win on the road. Only three of the 102
conference champions since 1970 had losing records away from home during the
regular season: the 2008 Cardinals (3-5), the 2010 Packers (3-5) and the 2018
Patriots (3-5).
Of course, each of those three clubs had to win at least
once on the road in the postseason in order to reach the Super Bowl.
Laying claim to a conference championship remains a priority
for the Packers after having come up short in the last two. Winning while crisscrossing
the country can’t hurt their quest to land a third straight berth.
LeFleur has enjoyed success outside Wisconsin more so than any
of his predecessors in Green Bay. Sunday was his 15th regular-season road
victory – against five losses – since becoming the team’s 15th head coach on
Jan. 8, 2019.
No big deal? Think again.
Vince Lombardi (13-7), Mike McCarthy (13-7) and Mike Sherman
(11-9) – three of the best in team history – had poorer starts than LaFleur. Another,
Mike Holmgren (7-13), never reached .500 during his seven years in Green Bay.
LaFleur has taken to the road from the start. Green Bay
outlasted Chicago 10-3 at Soldier Field in his coaching debut, and then tacked
on victories in Dallas and Kansas City before tasting defeat at the hands of the
Chargers.
The Packers fashioned 6-2 records away from Lambeau Field in
both 2019 and 2020. This year, the team has reeled off three straight after laying
an egg in the opener against the Saints.
That success places the Green and Gold among the best in the
business. Only the Chiefs (17-2), Saints (15-4), Ravens (15-4) and Bills (14-4)
have a better winning percentage on the road since 2019.
So how have LaFleur and the Packers done it? There are myriad
reasons, but we’ll touch upon two: turnovers and quarterback play.
Turnovers
Green Bay did not have a turnover in Chicago while the Bears
gave up one when safety Darnell Savage intercepted rookie quarterback Justin
Fields in the end zone. In their 15 road wins, the Packers have turned the ball
over six times while the opposition has coughed it up 22 times. Green Bay has
scored 89 points as a result of those miscues; its opponents just 13.
Quarterback Play
Aaron Rodgers has posted a higher passer rating than his
counterpart in 14 of those 15 wins. The exception: Drew Brees engineered a
127.8 to Rodgers’ 124.9 in Green Bay’s 37-30 triumph in New Orleans in 2020.
In Chicago, Rodgers completed 17 of 23 passes for 195 yards
and two touchdowns. Those numbers may not excite, but his rating (128.0) was
more than 50 points better than that of Fields who compiled a mark of 75.2 on
16 completions in 27 attempts for 174 yards with a touchdown and interception.
In 15 road victories under LaFleur, Green Bay’s passer
rating is 113.1. That’s noticeably higher than the 85.8 of the competition.
Quarterback Play in
the Packers-Bears Rivalry
Superior play at quarterback has helped the Packers win 44
of the last 59 regular-season meetings with the Bears. The incredible run
started in 1992 and has been orchestrated primarily with just two passers –
Rodgers and Brett Favre – at the helm.
Forty-seven times Green Bay posted the better passer rating.
Forty-two times it emerged victorious.
Hitting 100, as Rodgers did Sunday, has been an even better
harbinger of success, one that predates 1992. The Green and Gold has won the
last 26 meetings with Chicago when they hit or exceed that number.
Their last loss: Nov. 3, 1968 when Gale Sayers’ 205 rushing
yards trumped Bart Starr’s 102.5 rating. Starr completed 10 of 18 passes for
154 yards and a touchdown in the 13-10 loss.
How Packers head coaches fared in their first 20 regular-season road games.
15-5 Matt LaFleur 2019-2021
13-7 Vince Lombardi 1959-1962
13-7 Mike McCarthy 2006-2008
11-9 Mike Sherman 2000-2002
9-10-1 Phil Bengtson 1968-1970
8-11-1 Dan Devine 1971-1973
8-12 Lindy Infante 1988-1990
7-13 Forrest Gregg 1984-1986
7-13 Mike Holmgren 1992-1994
6-11-3 Curly Lambeau 1921-1925
6-14 Lisle Blackbourn 1954-1957
5-15 Gene Ronzani 1950-1953
4-16 Bart Starr 1975-1977
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