Packers Still in the Hunt, and LaFleur Keeps It Light Ahead of Crucial Week 17 Clash
With two weeks left in the regular season and the playoff picture tightening by the hour, you’d expect Matt LaFleur to be all business. But in true LaFleur fashion, the Green Bay Packers head coach brought some holiday humor to the podium this week.
“I don’t think my wife thought I was a good boy this year, so I don’t think she got me anything. I was on the naughty list,” LaFleur joked with reporters on Wednesday.
The quip drew laughs, but it also gave fans a glimpse into a coach who’s trying to keep things loose in a pressure-packed moment. And make no mistake - the pressure is real. After back-to-back losses to Denver and Chicago, the Packers have slid to second place in the NFC North, and the margin for error is razor-thin.
The Path to the Postseason
Green Bay’s playoff hopes are still very much alive, but the road to an NFC North crown just got a whole lot steeper. To reclaim the division, the Packers would need to win out - starting with a home showdown against the Baltimore Ravens this Saturday, followed by a tough road game in Minnesota to close the season.
Oh, and they’ll also need the Bears to lose both of their remaining games. That’s a tall order, even for a team with Green Bay’s pedigree.
But the more attainable goal? A playoff berth.
The Packers can clinch a spot this weekend with a win or even a tie against Baltimore. There’s also a scenario where they punch their ticket if the Detroit Lions lose or tie with the Vikings.
In short, there are multiple paths to January football, but none of them are guaranteed - not yet.
A Team on the Edge, But Not Out
At 9-5-1, Green Bay currently holds the seventh seed in the NFC, which would be good enough for a Wild Card berth if the season ended today. But with teams like the Rams and Seahawks lurking just behind, the Packers can’t afford another slip-up.
That’s why this Week 17 matchup with Baltimore looms so large. The Ravens are one of the AFC’s most complete teams - physical on defense, dynamic on offense, and built for cold-weather football. If Green Bay wants to prove it belongs in the postseason conversation, this is the kind of game it has to win.
LaFleur’s Steady Hand
Despite the recent setbacks, LaFleur isn’t showing signs of panic. His light-hearted comment about Christmas presents might seem minor, but it speaks volumes about the culture he’s built in Green Bay - one that balances accountability with perspective. When a team is fighting for its playoff life, sometimes keeping the mood loose can be just as important as tightening up the playbook.
And let’s face it: if the Packers can pull off a win this weekend and lock up a postseason spot, LaFleur probably won’t care whether there’s anything under the tree for him or not.
For now, the focus is on Saturday - on Lamar Jackson, on a Ravens defense that doesn’t give much, and on a Packers team that still controls more of its fate than it might seem. The stakes are high.
The margin is slim. But the door is still open.