Week 16 concludes with another playoff spot secured.
The Green Bay Packers have officially earned a postseason berth following their dominant 34-0 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Monday night.
This marks the Packers’ second consecutive trip to the playoffs under the guidance of Matt LaFleur with Jordan Love as his starting quarterback and their fifth postseason appearance in six seasons since LaFleur took over as head coach in 2019.
Although Green Bay has yet to reach a Super Bowl during LaFleur’s tenure, the team has consistently advanced to at least the Divisional Round in their previous four playoff appearances.
This includes last season when Love and his teammates secured a significant road win against the Dallas Cowboys during Super Wild Card Weekend before narrowly falling to the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers in a thrilling showdown.
“Making the playoffs is huge,” Love remarked following Monday night’s victory. “Obviously, the ultimate goal is the Super Bowl, but this is the critical first step.
Tonight’s game was a big one for us to clinch that spot, and I’m proud of how we came out here and took care of business.”
With 11 victories so far—already two more than they achieved during the 2023 regular season—Green Bay has a chance to match LaFleur’s hallmark 13-win seasons from his first three years as head coach. Despite this success, the Packers’ playoff journey will again demand resilience on the road.
The NFC North has proven to be an intense battleground this season. Green Bay currently sits third in the division behind the 13-2 Detroit Lions and the 13-2 Minnesota Vikings, both of whom are engaged in a fierce race with the 12-3 Philadelphia Eagles for the NFC’s top seed.
All four of Green Bay’s losses this season have come at the hands of these three teams, including two defeats by Detroit.
Against all other opponents, the Packers have been nearly flawless, showcasing remarkable consistency and balance throughout the year.
Heading into this week, Green Bay was on track to finish with both its offense and defense ranked in the top 10 in scoring—a feat the franchise hasn’t achieved since 2010, the year of their most recent Super Bowl triumph.
While a return to the Super Bowl remains a distant goal even with their playoff spot locked in, Green Bay still has pivotal divisional games ahead against the Vikings and Bears that will play a critical role in determining their seeding.
From there, the road to the Super Bowl will likely require overcoming at least one of the teams that previously outmatched them during the regular season.
