Too many late-game collapses. It can't continue.
Allowing 20-plus points in the fourth quarter. Surrendering a 10-point lead with just minutes remaining. Watching a two-touchdown advantage slip away against a division rival in the final moments. It has happened far too often.
We're not talking about Matt LaFleur. Those nightmare performances belong on John Harbaugh's resume, which is exactly why the Green Bay Packers shouldn't consider hiring him to replace their under-fire head coach.
LaFleur is understandably under pressure. He, too, has shown a tendency to fold when the lights are brightest. The Packers suffered a second-half meltdown at Soldier Field for the second time in four weeks, and the worst part? Nobody was surprised. But for anyone hoping for a change of direction, Harbaugh isn't the solution.
John Harbaugh isn't the answer to all that ails the Packers under Matt LaFleur
The connection is obvious. ESPN's Adam Schefter highlighted that Bryan Harlan, the son of former Packers president Bob Harlan, represents Harbaugh. Harbaugh is also from the Midwest. However, it's not a move the Packers should make.
LaFleur has endured his share of heartbreaking collapses, but Harbaugh wrote the book on that subject.
According to Bobby Kownack of NFL.com, Harbaugh's Ravens have blown 46 fourth-quarter leads since 2008, which is tied for the second-most in the NFL. There's zero reason to believe Harbaugh could fix the Packers' tendency to fall apart in the pressure moments.
Harbaugh is a fantastic coach with an outstanding resume. He is a Super Bowl winner with 180 career victories and 12 playoff appearances in 18 seasons.
However, the criticism aimed at LaFleur is that he's a very good coach but can't win the big one. He reached the NFC Championship Game twice with Aaron Rodgers and is now 1-3 in the postseason with Jordan Love.
Are we sure Harbaugh can take this team to the next level?
His Ravens team won a Super Bowl in 2012. Since then, they are 4-7 in the playoffs and have reached the AFC Championship Game just once. Lamar Jackson is a two-time MVP, but the Ravens are 3-5 in his playoff starts and haven't reached a Super Bowl. It's in those big games where the real concern lies.
"Sure, he consistently brought the Ravens to the playoffs, but he constantly got outcoached by some of the best head coaches in the NFL," writes Connor Burke of Ebony Bird. "Not only that, but his teams faltered time and time again when the lights were at their brightest."
Sound familiar? It's the same criticism facing LaFleur after yet another playoff heartbreak.
Hiring Harbaugh would create other potential issues. He would need an offensive coordinator. Maybe he could tempt a former head coach, like Mike McDaniel, Kliff Kingsbury, or Kevin Stefanski, to take the job. Perhaps he reunites with Todd Monken. But if all goes well and the Packers' offense reaches new heights, that coordinator would likely walk into a head coach job. It's the Jeff Hafley problem.
It's also an issue the Packers have tended to avoid by pairing their franchise quarterbacks with offensive play-calling head coaches.
There are too many red flags. Harbaugh offers experience. He knows what success looks like in the NFL and has a Super Bowl win on his resume. But so does Mike McCarthy. Their championship victories were two seasons apart, and neither coach has come close to winning another in the past decade, even with superstar quarterbacks.
The Packers may decide to move on from LaFleur, but finding a replacement won't be easy.
Harbaugh is the biggest name available currently, but Green Bay would be rolling the dice to hire him as LaFleur's successor.