After the Green Bay Packers watched an 18-point lead disappear in a brutal NFC wild-card loss to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field, the mood around Titletown turned heavy. The stunning collapse prompted Matt LaFleur to make it clear that tough conversations are coming. He expects to sit down with team president Ed Policy to determine the future of his coaching staff. But before that meeting even happens, LaFleur has already weighed in on where things stand with one key assistant.

According to Packers beat writer Ryan Wood, “Matt LaFleur was noncommittal when asked if Rich Bisaccia will return as Packers special teams coordinator. He says he’s in the process of reviewing everything.”

In other words, nobody is safe right now in Green Bay. At the same time, Bisaccia himself feels the weight of it. According to Cheesehead TV, he admitted that one big reason he wanted another year was the belief that his unit let LaFleur down when it mattered most. Once again, special teams played a large role in a gut-punch playoff loss.

To be fair, a veteran kicker missing three kicks in one game is not something Bisaccia controls directly. Still, at some point, the blame lands on the coordinator’s desk. When critical mistakes keep showing up, especially in January, someone has to own it.

Then again, this was not a one-off. Earlier in the season, the Packers saw a chance slip away in Week 3. Brandon McManus had a field goal blocked that could have swung the game. Instead, the Browns seized momentum, ultimately winning the game on a late field goal of their own. Green Bay never recovered from that moment.

Soon after, the problems snowballed. In Week 4, a blocked extra point against America’s Team gave the Cowboys momentum and led to a wild 40-40 tie in the Big D. Later, a missed 43-yard kick in Week 9 against the Carolina Panthers sealed a three-point loss. Put it all together, and it is hard to feel secure.

The stunning collapse prompted Matt LaFleur to make it clear that tough conversations are coming.

Because of that history, Rich Bisaccia’s future in Titletown looks shaky at best. However, in the recent game, Matt LaFleur also ignored one of Bisaccia’s plans.

Matt LaFleur rejected Rich Bisaccia’s Josh Jacobs suggestion

An interesting idea surfaced inside Titletown before things unraveled in the wild-card game. Senior reporter Zach Jacobson noted that Rich Bisaccia approached Matt LaFleur during the week about putting Josh Jacobs back on kick returns. LaFleur shut it down quickly, saying he did not feel good about the risk.

Still, the topic refused to die. By Thursday, Jacobs himself pushed for the same role, a suggestion that would ultimately lead to a critical in-game decision.

Then, LaFleur explained how that conversation really went.

“When he said that to me, I said, ‘Do you really want to return?’ He said, ‘Heck yeah, I do,’” LaFleur recalled. “It was one of those deals we were going to save until later in the game, in crunch time, when we needed it.”

At that moment, it felt like a controlled gamble, something held in the back pocket at Lambeau Field for a desperate moment. However, things took a sharp turn.

Despite rejecting Bisaccia’s plan earlier, LaFleur green-lit Jacobs’ request. Unfortunately, the move nearly blew up. Jacobs fumbled on a return, and only a heads-up recovery by safety Kevin Oladapo saved the Packers from chaos. Even so, with Green Bay falling 31-27, Cheeseheads were left wondering if that single moment tilted the game the wrong way.

Still, the numbers tell a mixed story. Jacobs handled two kick returns for 61 yards. His average of more than 30 yards per return jumps off the page. At the same time, LaFleur and his staff now have to ask whether that production is worth the pounding a running back takes on special teams.

Meanwhile, the risk of using Jacobs on returns was amplified by his quiet day on offense, where he was held to just 55 yards. For a back who carried the offensive load with 929 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns during the regular season, exposing him to further punishment on special teams for minimal offensive gain raises serious questions about the team’s game plan.

As LaFleur weighs Bisaccia’s future, he must also confront his own role in the special teams breakdown, leaving Packers fans to wonder if a change in coordinator is the only answer needed for a team that once again fell short in January.