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Matt LaFleur joins Todd Bowles and Shane Steichen on the early-season hot seat for NFL coaches

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Maaddi, R. (2026, September 25). Matt LaFleur joins Todd Bowles and Shane Steichen on the early-season hot seat for NFL coaches. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/sports/football/matt-lafleur-joins-todd-bowles-and-shane-steichen-on-the-early-season-hot-seat-for-nfl-coaches/article_10543f01-c086-5f33-9246-4417f47d60b0.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Toronto Star · collected 2026-09-25 · by Rob Maaddi

Quick Summary

Matt LaFleur has joined Todd Bowles and Shane Steichen as NFL coaches facing early-season scrutiny. Following the Packers' 35-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at Lambeau Field, Green Bay is now 1-2 with struggles evident on both offense and defense. LaFleur’s tenure has seen playoff failures despite regular-season success; the team started this year poorly after going 1-7 since losing Micah Parsons last December. In Tampa Bay, Bowles faces criticism for his 35-35 record over four-plus seasons and consecutive losses to start the new season.
Written by AI on 2026-09-25, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Michael Penix Jr., who suffered a torn ACL in November 2025, was named the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons against the Green Bay Packers on September 24, just one week after the Falcons' brutal 34-3 loss to the Carolina Panthers. The Falcons hope that Penix's return will provide a spark to an offense that failed to reach the red zone in their first two games of the season. Penix worked hard during his recovery and is set to play for the first time since November 16, 2025. Meanwhile, Tua Tagovailoa will back up Penix after missing the first two regular-season games due to an oblique injury. The game, which starts at 8:15 p.m. ET, is streamed exclusively on Prime Video. Despite being winless (0-2), the Falcons aim for their first victory of the season against a Packers team that comes into this home opener with a record of 1-1 following an overtime win over the New York Jets. The game will be played at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Written for “Michael Penix Jr Returns Falcons vs P…” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 18 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Michael Penix Jr Returns Falcons vs P…
Sports · 19 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 2% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Toronto Star
Hedges 4 of 46 claims Outlet record 64/100
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 17 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different games and performances by the Packers: one against the Vikings (Week 1) and another against the Falcons (Week 3), not the game between the Jets and Packers.”
Toronto Star
Hedges 0 of 22 claims Outlet record 64/100
“Article A describes a specific game-winning field goal by Trey Smack against the New York Jets on September 20, while Article B discusses the broader context and implications of Matt LaFleur's position as coach following multiple games including the one mentioned in Article A.”
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 13 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different games and outcomes involving the Packers and Jets.”
Toronto Star
Hedges 1 of 24 claims Outlet record 64/100
“The articles describe different events: one focuses on Aaron Glenn's decisions and reactions after a loss to the Green Bay Packers, while the other discusses Matt LaFleur's situation as coach following a separate game against the Atlanta Falcons.”
New York Post
Hedges 6 of 22 claims Outlet record 66/100
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 11 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different games: one is a loss to the Packers in Week 2, and another is a loss to the Falcons in Week 3.”
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 25 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles discuss the Packers' loss to the Falcons on September 25, Article A focuses on the game itself and its impact on the team's performance, while Article B centers on Matt LaFleur's position as a coach under scrutiny due to this loss.”
Toronto Star
Hedges 1 of 24 claims Outlet record 64/100
“While both articles discuss the Packers' loss to the Falcons in their home opener on September 24, 2026, Article A focuses on the game itself and the crowd reaction, whereas Article B discusses the impact of this loss on Matt LaFleur's position as coach. These are related but distinct events.”
The Guardian
Hedges 0 of 26 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A describes the football game itself, while Article B discusses the aftermath and implications for the coach.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
44
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
2%
1 of 44 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
Toronto Star's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
19
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-25 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Toronto Star · 10939 article(s) · 28 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 28 correction(s)
2026-10-26
Correction
2026-10-24
Correction
2026-10-07
Correction
2026-09-24
Correction

Who wrote this

Rob Maaddi
38 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Once the sting of a World Series defeat lessens, the Tampa Bay Rays will be able to appreciate their journey from nearly being homeless to playing for a championship.
🔮 World Series MVP William Contreras hit an RBI double and Misiorowski allowed just two hits before leaving the game because of a right calf cramp.
🔮 “We’re ready to party,” a man wearing a pinstriped, white William Contreras No. 24 jersey said.
🔮 Brock Purdy and the 49ers couldn’t overcome all the injuries one more time.
🔮 A sellout crowd of more than 40,000 towel-waving, cowbell-ringing fans will welcome the Rays back for Game 3 of the World Series on Monday night after a pair of gut-wrenching, one-run losses in Milwaukee.
🔮 William Contreras hit a bouncer that could’ve potentially been an inning-ending double play but it rolled into center field because Palacios was out of position going to the base, which is the right decision in that spot.
🔮 Hurts was placed on injured reserve and is expected to miss the rest of the season after a blood clot in his left calf traveled to his lungs.
🔮 TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Baker Mayfield expects to return from a thumb injury and play when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers face the Carolina Panthers on Sunday .
🔮 The hulking Díaz – he may have the biggest biceps in the majors — hit two-run homers in 7-3 victories in Games 4 and 6 against the Guardians.
🔮 “I don’t know if I could put into words right now the impact and importance he’s had to the pitchers here at the major league level, the entire pitching department throughout the organization,” manager Kevin Cash said.
Also by Rob Maaddi
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 38 articles by Rob Maaddi →

Topics

Buccaneers NFL Packers The Green Bay Packers the Atlanta Falcons

Subjects

Bowles PERSON · 5× LaFleur PERSON · 5× Packers ORG · 4× Colts ORG · 3× Steichen PERSON · 3× Buccaneers ORG · 2× Matt LaFleur PERSON · 1× NFL ORG · 1× Shane Steichen PERSON · 1× Todd Bowles PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Steichen entered the season with a directive from Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon, who made it clear the coach had to turn things around after Indianapolis lost seven straight games to end up 8-9 in 2025.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-25
🔮 They couldn’t stop Bijan Robinson, but that’s typical.

Claims (44 extracted, 1 hedged)

The Green Bay Packers are off to a 1-2 start following a lackluster performance in a 35-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night in their home opener at Lambeau Field. asserted
Packers → follow → Field
“It’s three games in. asserted
It → ’ → ?
We’re nowhere where we need to be but there’s a lot of ball left in front of us,” LaFleur said. asserted
LaFleur → ’re → us
Since losing Micah Parsons to a torn ACL last December, the Packers are 1-7. asserted
Packers → lose → ACL
The only victory came last week against the New York Jets, who helped give the game away. asserted
who → come → game
LaFleur’s offense has struggled without running back Josh Jacobs, who is on the commissioner’s exempt list and isn’t allowed to play. asserted
who → struggle → list
On defense, the Packers made Michael Penix Jr. look like prime Michael Vick in his first game back from a torn ACL. asserted
Jr. → make → ACL
They couldn’t stop Bijan Robinson, but that’s typical. asserted
that → stop → Robinson
Robinson had 194 yards rushing and two TDs. asserted
Robinson → have → yards
LaFleur began his coaching career with three straight 13-win seasons. asserted
LaFleur → begin → seasons
But his tenure has been marked by playoff failures. asserted
tenure → mark → failures
LaFleur’s first two seasons ended with home losses in the NFC championship game and then a home loss in the divisional round. asserted
seasons → end → round
Over the next four seasons, the Packers had double-digit wins once and went 1-3 in the playoffs. asserted
Packers → have → playoffs
Now, the Packers have opened the season with two losses in three games and have a tough road ahead in the NFC North. asserted
Packers → open → North
Winning seasons and playoff appearances are expected in Green Bay. asserted
seasons → win → Bay
Nothing less than another Lombardi Trophy is considered a success. asserted
Nothing → consider → Trophy
That means LaFleur, despite his regular-season success, hasn’t delivered. asserted
LaFleur → mean → success
In Tampa Bay, Bowles has been heavily criticized since the Buccaneers went 2-7 to end last season after a 6-2 start. asserted
Buccaneers → criticize → start
There was surprise that management didn’t make a coaching change but Bowles signed a three-year contract extension before the 2025 season. asserted
Bowles → be → season
The Bucs have opened with consecutive losses, including a 23-19 loss to the Browns last Sunday that increased the heat on Bowles. asserted
that → open → Bowles
His three division titles in a weak NFC South have resulted in a 1-3 record in the playoffs. asserted
titles → result → playoffs
“I think if you lose the first two games of the year, that doesn’t determine the other 15 games,” Bowles said. asserted
Bowles → think → games
“Right now, we’re 0-2 — we’re not 0-9 or 0-11. asserted
we → ’re → ?
That doesn’t bother me as much from that standpoint. asserted
That → bother → standpoint
We’ve just got to get better and win a ballgame.” asserted
We → get → ballgame
The Buccaneers host the Minnesota Vikings (2-0) on Sunday. asserted
Buccaneers → host → Sunday
“I think (there is) always pressure until you get your first win out (of) the way,” Bowles said. asserted
Bowles → think → way
“You try to get it out the way at the beginning of the season so you don’t have to worry about it anymore. asserted
you → try → it
It’s not a different kind of pressure, so to speak. asserted
It → ’ → pressure
It’s probably a different kind of urgency — not that you’re not playing urgent already — but you just want to get that first win on the board.” asserted
you → ’ → board
Steichen entered the season with a directive from Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon, who made it clear the coach had to turn things around after Indianapolis lost seven straight games to end up 8-9 in 2025. asserted
Indianapolis → enter → 2025
The Colts got walloped in Week 1 by the Ravens but nearly upset the Chiefs on the road last Sunday night. asserted
Colts → wallop → road
“We’re battling like crazy,” Steichen said. asserted
Steichen → battle → ?
“That’s the message and we gotta continue to grow and learn, and we got a lot of football left. asserted
we → ’ → football
Like I said last week, we’re right there. asserted
we → say → ?
We gotta find a way to win at the end. asserted
We → got → end
It’s a freaking hard league and you gotta find a way to win these tight games. asserted
you → ’ → games
The Colts are home underdogs against Houston (0-2) on Sunday in a division matchup between two teams that came in with high expectations. asserted
that → come → expectations
Jets coach Aaron Glenn also could end up on the hot seat at some point this season. uncertain
Glenn → end → point
Dan Quinn and the Commanders are 0-2 but expectations are low after losing Jayden Daniels. asserted
expectations → lose → Daniels
…and 4 more, not listed.
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