Packers head coach LaFleur on doorstep of joining exclusive club

With two NFC Championship game appearances in three years, the Green Bay Packers have already seen a strong return on their investment in Matt LaFleur. 

With a season-opening win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday and LaFleur will become just the third head coach with 40 wins in his first 50 games, joining Paul Brown, who won 41 of his first 50 games with the Cleveland Browns, and Chuck Knox, who won 40 of his first 50.

LaFleur’s .759 career win percentage (including the playoffs) is also tops among active coaches.

With a 39-10 regular season record, LaFleur passed George Seifert (38) for the most wins of any head coach in his first three seasons. His 39 wins are the most of any Packers head coach through his first 49 games, just ahead of Vince Lombardi (36) and Mike Sherman (33).

The 42-year-old LaFleur has a 4-2 career record against the Vikings. The Packers have scored 21 or more points in all of those contests, and all but two were one-score games. The fourth-year head coach has a 2-0 record against division opponents in season openers and a 2-1 overall record in Week 1. Since 2003, they are 2-1 against the Vikings in season openers.

It’s safe to assume Sunday’s Week 1 matchup will be a high-scoring affair. Green Bay averages 29.5 points and 431 yards of total offense, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers has thrown for 1,753 yards, 15 touchdowns and just one interception against Minnesota under LaFleur.