The Green Bay Packers keep winning games in the second half while sleepwalking through the first. Since mid-October, Green Bay hasn’t cracked 14 points before halftime in any game. Yet, they’ve closed multiple contests by over 30 points. Someone’s hitting the brakes early on quarterback Jordan Love’s production, and former Packers quarterback Kurt Benkert blames head coach Matt LaFleur.

“When you watch them, it looks like they play scared or play call scared early in the game until they absolutely have to turn it on,” Benkert said on Up & Adams. He pointed to a pattern he’s seen before. “When I was there, we lost in the playoffs because we were very similar, and we took a bad loss to the 49ers… We started slow most games, picked it up at the end, but it looks like that original top 20 to 25 game script is not working right now. And I would love to see them open it up with Jordan Love.”

Benkert didn’t stop there. “I don’t care how many receivers you have missing,” he continued. “I think Jordan Love, when he’s asked to do things that are a little bit sketchy, actually pulls it off most of the time. He’s not throwing three picks in the first half. It’s not really who he is. So I think they need to just let him loose a little bit.”

That led him directly to Matt LaFleur. “Jordan is, in my opinion, way more Brett Favre than he is Aaron Rodgers. And LaFleur is way more conservative than a Brett Favre kind of guy.” He even referenced reports from a past matchup, recalling, “LaFleur… called him the night before the game… asking if they could change the play-call to a run play. Jordan said no, and they threw a bomb for either a big gain or a touchdown.”

Benkert compares Love to the legendary Brett Favre, a gunslinger who thrived on chaos in Green Bay’s offense. LaFleur? He’s the opposite, conservative by nature, and careful with his $220 million quarterback investment. This clash is strangling what Love does best.

In Benkert’s view, the dynamic hasn’t changed. “I think it needs to be, what does Jordan want first? And then what does LaFleur craft around what Jordan feels most confident and comfortable in?”

The early-game scripts aren’t just conservative; they’re predictable. RPOs, bubble screens, letting their defense take the load while the offense does enough to scrape up points, or leaving the rest to field goals. Compare that to someone like the Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who, even at 37, is still chucking deep shots into coverage and making big plays every chance he gets.

“It looks like they playcall scared until they absolutely have to turn it on… Let [Jordan Love] Favre it up a little bit.”

“I think they’ve got to just let it go.” Benkert’s cold verdict feels like a wake-up call for the Packers. “They’re not going to be able to tiptoe their way through the NFC in the playoffs. I don’t believe that that’s going to get them to a Super Bowl.”

The numbers back him up. Green Bay ranks 28th in first-half scoring at 9.0 points per game, down from 12.9 last year. Even the last game against the Minnesota Vikings saw two rushing touchdowns by Emanuel Wilson and three field goals. But no scores from Love.

The solution? More aggression. “You’ve got to take some shots on first down and second down and try to strike because settling for field goals in the end zone isn’t going to get it done,” says Benkert.

Now, while Benkert speaks freely from retirement, Love has to navigate this conversation much more carefully. But he’s sending signals… just in case Matt LaFleur is listening.

Jordan Love’s coded message?

After Green Bay’s ultra-conservative 23-6 win over Minnesota, Love acknowledged that the game plan was intentional. Love had thrown just 21 passes for 139 yards in the game. With the defense balling out, the offense actually had a sideline conversation to just protect the ball and avoid “unneeded risk.” Then came the tell.

“Guys all have that mindset; we want to go out there be aggressive every time,” Love said post-game. He also justified the game plan by adding, “You got to find easy to win these games, and that’s what was needed today.” But read between the lines, and it’s clear that the offense wants aggression, but they’re not getting it.

Week 10 against the Philadelphia Eagles made Matt LaFleur’s conservatism painfully obvious. Eagles defensive tackle Moro Ojomo was caught on TV mics calling out “Inside zone this way!” right before the snap on a critical fourth-down run. He was right, and that 10-7 loss stung all the more because of it. When opponents diagnose your plays before the snap, you’ve got a scheme problem, not a personnel issue.

But Jordan Love’s been diplomatic throughout. He’s praised the running game, supported the conservative approach publicly. But that competitive fire doesn’t disappear because your coach prefers safer plays. That fire is what made Love elite in the red zone the past two seasons. Now, he’s just watching potential big plays passing by.

Benkert’s prescription is straightforward. “Let him Favre it up a little more.” Even Brett Favre believes Love has the talent to make big plays, even more than his mentor, Aaron Rodgers. Green Bay’s defense can handle an extra turnover. What they can’t handle is an offense that refuses to attack until there’s no other option left. Will there be any changes to Matt LaFleur’s schemes? Week 13 against the Detroit Lions will show us that.