First-year coach Matt LaFleur oversaw the biggest one-year win improvement in the decorated history of the Green Bay Packers franchise.
The Packers won 13 games in 2019, a seven-win jump from a 6-9-1 finish in 2018 and the team’s most victories since 2011. The seven-win improvement beat four other instances of six-win improvements in team history (1928, 1958, 1971, 1988).
It was a historic first season for LaFleur, who was hired by team president Mark Murphy and GM Brian Gutekunst exactly a year ago Tuesday.
LaFleur shattered the old franchise record for wins by a first-year coach, winning four more games than the nine won by both Mike Holmgren (1992) and Mike Sherman (2000). He also became the first coach in team history to win a division title in his first season.
The Packers captured the NFC North and finished 6-0 against the division, making LaFleur the first coach since Jim Caldwell in 2009 to win at least 13 games and go undefeated against the division as a first-year coach.
Speaking of 13 wins, LaFleur is now one of just five coaches to win 13 or more games in his first season, joining Caldwell, George Seifert, Jim Harbaugh and Steve Mariucci.
Two of those four coaches advanced to the Super Bowl.
The Packers will host the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Divisional Round on Sunday at Lambeau Field. LaFleur’s team won seven home games in 2019, setting another franchise record for a first-year coach. Holmgren and Sherman both won six.
How did the Packers improve so greatly in 2019?
LaFleur reinvented the culture in Green Bay, Gutekunst added major help on defense and the offensive line, and the players executed late in games, helping the Packers win eight games by eight or fewer points. The offense committed only 13 turnovers, the defense produced 25 takeaways and both the offense and defense were dominant in the red zone. Oh, and the Packers avoided major injuries and were healthy for much of the regular season.
The NFL record for win improvement in a season is 10, set by the 2009 Colts and 2008 Dolphins.