REVIEW: WHY MATT LAFLEUR IS COUNTING ON VETERANS TO SAVE THE SEASON
Matt LaFleur rested starters in a 16-3 loss to the Vikings. We analyse the Packers' slump and life without Micah Parsons.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur stood on the sideline, watching as his team slogged through a rough second quarter against the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. It was January 4, 2026, and honestly, this game didn’t mean much for Green Bay. They’d already locked up their playoff spot, so LaFleur kept Jordan Love and several other starters on the bench. Instead, Clayton Tune got the nod at quarterback—a guy who’d been hanging out on the practice squad most of the year and only took a few snaps in Week 17.
Tune threw just 11 passes all game, completing six for 34 yards. Not exactly electric. The Vikings sacked him four times, so the Packers actually finished with negative passing yards. Yeah, minus 7. That pretty much sums up the afternoon.
The final score was 16-3, and the only reason Green Bay even got on the board was a late field goal they set up with a timeout. The run game looked a little better—they managed 128 yards on 35 carries, and that was without Josh Jacobs, who sat out too. Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs didn’t play either, whether because of injuries or just getting some rest. So, the Packers were missing a lot of firepower.
Here’s the bigger problem: for the second year in a row, the Packers are stumbling into the playoffs on a losing streak. Just a few weeks ago, after beating the Bears in Week 14, they were leading the NFC North and looking sharp. But then things unravelled—four straight losses, injuries piling up, and the worst of it was losing Micah Parsons to a torn ACL. He’s done till next season.
LaFleur isn’t pretending it’s all fine. He says the team has taken their lumps, but now it’s time to move on. “We’re in the dance,” he told reporters. “We’ve got to go on the road and play our best football from here.”
Nobody knows exactly who they’ll face in the first round, but LaFleur is counting on his veterans to remember what playoff football feels like. He wants them to step up when it matters most.
“You stick with what you believe in,” he said. “But everyone’s got to understand—the playoffs are different. There’s no next week if you lose. We need to play our best.”
Green Bay’s hoping that resting its stars will pay off. Whether it does, well, we’ll see soon enough.
“ LaFleur said, “Everything’s pretty fluid as we prep this week. It depends on when we actually play. But I thought practice went well—the guys who rested still got solid reps, first team offence versus first team defence. Physically, we’re in a good place.”
RAIDERS PLACE RECEIVER JUSTIN SHORTER ON IR; SIGN HOOSIERS STAR BRADY
With Justin Shorter on IR, discover how new signing Jonathan Brady fits into the Raiders' wide receiver youth movement for 2026.
The Raiders aren’t sitting still; rookie minicamp just started, and they're already shuffling the roster. Right now, some veteran players are basically on borrowed time as the team leans hard into getting younger.
Take Justin Shorter. He’s been in Vegas since 2024 but hasn’t caught a pass in an actual NFL game. Well, his spot just got even more shaky. The Raiders put him on the Reserve/Injured list, which, let’s be real, is never a good sign this early in the offseason. Usually, that sort of move means a buyout could be next so he can test free agency.
There’s a steady influx of young receivers competing for spots, so it’s tough to see Shorter making his way back, even if he heals up. To fill his spot, the team signed Jonathan Brady, a receiver out of Indiana.
Nobody’s really sure what kind of injury Shorter has. If it’s serious, maybe he sticks around and rehabs with the team. If not, we might see him try his luck somewhere else.
As for the Raiders’ wide receiver group, the youth movement is real. Wide receiver was a big need heading into the offseason, but they didn’t do much outside of signing Jalen Nailor and drafting Malik Benson in the sixth round.
Vincent Bonsignore from the California Post pointed out that the Raiders might still look to add more receivers if the current group doesn’t step up. He basically said that the early rounds of the draft went to bigger needs, and now guys like Bech and Thornton Jr. have a chance to prove the team doesn’t have to keep looking elsewhere. But don’t expect the Raiders to hesitate if things look shaky.
Now, about that passing game, it was rough last season. The Raiders finished in the bottom five. But with Klint Kubiak calling plays and Fernando Mendoza hopefully taking over for Geno Smith, things honestly should get better. If Kirk Cousins ends up starting, he’s probably an upgrade, too. And bringing in Tyler Linderbaum at centre will only help.
Chances are, the Raiders will use an early pick on a receiver in next year’s draft. Even though they have a rookie quarterback waiting in the wings, they didn’t spend big at receiver this offseason. Maybe that’s because they don’t expect him to start right away. Who knows. For now, the wide receiver group looks decent enough to get by.
NFL EXECUTIVE NAMES COLE PAYTON HIS "NO. 2 QUARTERBACK" IN THE 2026 CLASS
From 94.6 PFF grades to 4.56 speed, Cole Payton is the Eagles' latest QB project. Analysing his path to the NFL depth chart.
Cole Payton, who played quarterback at North Dakota State, might end up making a bigger splash as a fifth-round pick than people expect.
He’s not just another late-round flyer, either. An NFL executive recently told insider J.L. Canfora that Payton has real upside. The Eagles have done something similar before, so this isn't coming out of nowhere.
Remember Carson Wentz? Philly grabbed him with the second overall pick back in 2016, but Jalen Hurts ended up taking over. Now, some people around the league think history might repeat itself with Payton possibly replacing Hurts down the road.
The executive went all in on Payton: “You know, I believe in that kid. That was my No. 2 quarterback in the draft. And Howie [Roseman] takes him? Come on. He sees it too. Cole Payton, if you bring him along the right way, can start in this league.”
Roseman, the guy in Philly’s front office, was a big part of the Wentz pick. He’s seen his fair share of quarterback changes over the years, and honestly, that might matter this time, too.
The executive didn’t hold back: “All the stuff you hear about Hurts, all the drama and where he is in his contract." You can call me crazy, but I think this kid could take over from him in a few years. They did this with [Kevin] Kolb, even when [Donovan] McNabb was still there. I know how Howie thinks. This kid has a chance.”
Payton had to wait for his turn at NDSU.
Payton rolled into North Dakota State in 2021, known as a strong recruit for an FCS quarterback, straight out of Omaha.
He was supposed to be the next big thing, just like the string of successful Bison quarterbacks before him. But things didn’t break that way at first. Cam Miller, the QB ahead of him, kept stacking up wins and making a name for himself in Fargo.
Miller even beat out Quincy Patterson II, a gifted dual-threat quarterback who transferred in from Virginia Tech. After Patterson got banged up in 2021, Miller took over, steered the team to a national championship, and then hung on to the starting job through 2024.
Patterson left for Temple, so Payton slid into the Bison’s running packages in a spot that Patterson had filled before. And Payton did more than just fill that role. In 2022, he ran for 284 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries. By the next year, he really took off: 615 yards and 13 touchdowns on 84 carries.
Setback, then a breakout
Payton started 2024 looking like the same kind of threat on the ground, but a shoulder injury cut his season short. He only managed 164 rushing yards and a score on 21 carries before he went down.
Finally, in 2025, his shot as the full-time starter arrived after Miller left for the NFL draft, drafted by the Raiders in the sixth round. Payton made the most of it. He led NDSU to an unbeaten 12-0 regular season, completing 70% of his passes for 2,719 yards, with 16 touchdowns and just four picks. And he still ran wild, with 777 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 136 carries.
Now, he’s got a fresh chance in Philadelphia. If you ask people around the league, he’s not just there to hold a clipboard. They're watching to see what happens next.
_1777814568.webp)
