Packers: Three reasons to be excited about the 2020 season

1. Second year in Matt LaFleur’s system

We saw moments of brilliance from the Packers offense in 2019. A sign of what’s possible when everyone is on the same page. Far too often we saw inconsistencies and mistakes, leading to drives stalling too soon. But it’s easy to forget that not only was Matt LaFleur a first-year head coach, but it was also the first season with an entirely new offensive system in Green Bay.

Now with a full season in the books to build on, we could see some significant improvements. LaFleur has seen what worked and what needed improving. For Aaron Rodgers and his supporting cast, they’ll now have a great familiarity with the scheme which should help them prepare for year two.

The same happened with the Atlanta Falcons from 2015 to 2016. Kyle Shanahan brought in a new offense to Atlanta in 2015, with LaFleur as his quarterbacks coach.

Outside of Devonta Freeman’s breakout season, the Falcons were frustratingly inconsistent on offense in 2015. Matt Ryan even said he was “a little overwhelmed” in his first season in Shanahan’s offense.

But that all changed in 2016. Ryan threw for 4,944 yards and 38 touchdowns with just seven interceptions, leading the most explosive offense in football and one that helped the Falcons reach the Super Bowl. Ryan was named league MVP that year.

That’s not to say the exact same scenario will play out in Green Bay. But LaFleur’s offense features some similarities to Shanahan’s and we can expect Rodgers and this offense to improve with more familiarity in the scheme.