Matt LaFleur's First Season Opener at Lambeau Field is Worth the Wait

 By Eric Goska

Behind the Desk: Bill Cowher (left), Nate Burleson (center) and Matt Ryan (right)
were on the scene at Lambeau Field as CBS broadcast Sunday's Packers-Lions game.
(photos by Eric Goska)

The wait is over.

For six consecutive seasons, Matt LeFleur and his Packers had opened on the road. Sunday, finally, the 45-year-old head coach kicked off a campaign within the friendly confines of Lambeau Field as his team hosted division rival Detroit.

In general, NFL schedule makers grant first-time head coaches an opener at home within a year or three of their hire. But since 2019, those charged with arranging dates, times and locations apparently overlooked Green Bay.

While fellow NFC North coaches Dan Campbell (Lions) and Kevin O’Connell (Vikings) began their careers at home in 2021 and 2022, respectively, LeFleur had to sit tight. While Arthur Smith (Falcons) and Matt Rhule (Panthers) stayed put in each of their first three seasons as head coaches, LeFleur traveled out of state.

LeFleur’s patience paid off.

Steve Owen’s never did.

In LaFleur’s first five seasons, his Packers initiated play at Chicago (2019, 2023), at Minnesota (2020, 2022) and at New Orleans (2021). Last year, they flew to Brazil to get the ball rolling against the Eagles.

Logging so many miles is unique in team history. Every other Packers head coach – from Curly Lambeau (Hagemeister Park, 1921) to Gene Ronzani (City Stadium, 1950) to Vince Lombardi (New City Stadium, 1959) to Bart Starr (Milwaukee County Stadium, 1975) – opened their first season at home.

Biding time as LaFleur did is rare. Only three coaches in NFL history had to wait longer.

Owen, head coach of the New York Giants from 1931 through 1953, never opened a season at home. He spent 23 years initiating play on foreign soil.

The other two: Roy Andrews (8 years; 1924-31) and Jim Lee Howell (7; 1954-60).

Fans wait in line to gain admission into Lambeau Field.

Jim Nantz, who handled the play-by-play for the Packers-Lions matchup, noted the significance of the opener.

“They (the Packers) have not had a home opener in Week 1 since 2018,” he announced after Green Bay had scored its first touchdown. “So it’s the first time Matt LeFleur has been given that courtesy as well. And what a way to start your season with a touchdown drive ending with (Jordan) Love hitting six different targets including (Tucker) Kraft at the end for the score.”

Motivated, focused, LaFleur’s charges controlled the Lions from the outset, registering a convincing 27-13 win over the reigning NFC North Division champs.

Pass defense played a major role in the victory. Jared Goff rarely had time to get comfortable in the pocket or take a shot downfield. The Lions quarterback launched 39 throws and completed 31 for an underwhelming 225 yards. He averaged a meager 7.3 yards per completion.

One measure of Detroit’s ineffectiveness is the number of short completions it had. The majority of them – 25 to be exact – netted fewer than 10 yards each.

That’s a lot of baby steps. Only twice before have the Packers forced so many short aerial gains in one regular-season game. The Giants (Kerry Collins) fired 25 in a 34-25 loss on Jan. 6, 2002, and the Bears (Mitch Trubisky) had 26 in a 35-16 setback on Jan. 3, 2021.

Declaring a defense successful because of a near record number of short throws may seem counter-intuitive. But every one of those modest gains had the potential to morph into something more, yet Green Bay refused to allow it.

The Packers and Lions have been tangling since the 1930s.

Consider Jahmyr Gibbs Exhibit A. The running back – often a last resort when nothing materialized downfield – served as Goff’s top target hauling in all 10 passes thrown his way.

But – and this is a biggie – the three-year veteran only gained 31 yards on those 10 connections.

Translation: Gibbs went virtually nowhere before or after the catch.

According to Stathead at Pro Football Reference, there have been just over 1,750 instances of a player snagging 10 or more passes in a regular-season game. Only one of those double-digit dippers – Alvin Kamara of the Saints in 2023 – averaged fewer yards per catch (2.5) than Gibbs’ 3.1.

More than a third (11) of Goff’s completions went for fewer than five yards. Two wound up as negatives.

Goff’s longest hookup was a 32-yarder to tight end Sam LaPorta early in the third quarter. That, and that alone, was the Lions’ only pass play of 20 or more yards.

While the recently acquired Micah Parsons played a role in this uptick in Green Bay’s pass defense, the improvement appeared to be a team effort. The question then becomes: Can the unit duplicate its stinginess against Jayden Daniels – a younger, more elusive quarterback than Goff – and his Commandeers come Thursday.

The Waiting Game
NFL head coaches with the longest wait before opening a season at home.
 
Years    Coach                    Team(s)         Years
  23         Steve Owen              Giants            1931-1953
    8         Roy Andrews           many              1924-1931
    6         Matt LaFleur           Packers          2018-2024
    6         Tom Flores              Raiders          1979-1984
    6         Joe Walton              Jets                 1983-1988
 
Coming Up Short
Teams with the most completions of fewer than 10 yards in a regular-season game against the Packers.
 
No.   Date                 Team                  Result
26     Jan. 3, 2021       Bears                    GB won, 35-16
25     Sept. 7, 2025     Lions                    GB won, 27-13
25     Jan. 6, 2002      Giants                  GB won, 34-25
24     Nov. 29, 1981    Vikings                GB won, 35-23
23     Dec. 19, 2021    Ravens                 GB won, 31-30
22     Oct. 18, 2015     Chargers             GB won, 27-20
22     Oct. 6, 2024      Rams                    GB won, 24-19