Matt LaFleur in December: By the Numbers of the Packers Coach's 16-0 Mark

Life & Trends Reporter

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The Green Bay Packers have won four of their last five games and suddenly find themselves in the NFC playoff picture despite a 2-5 start to the season.

A 27-19 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday night brought the Packers back up to .500. But Green Bay being at its best in December isn't anything new.

Beating the Chiefs improved head coach Matt LaFleur's record to 16-0 in the month since taking the job in 2019. And stringing together a run of wins during the holiday season again could send the Packers to the postseason for the fourth time in five years under his leadership.

Not that LaFleur is getting ahead of himself.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur — Head coach Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers looks on during the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at Lambeau Field on November 19, 2023, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. LaFleur is undefeated in... Patrick McDermott/Getty Images/Getty Images

"As soon as you start feeling yourself and you feel like you've arrived, this league has a way of knocking you off," LaFleur said after defeating the Chiefs. "And the bottom line is, we're a .500 football team. We're 6-6 right now. We've clawed out of a tough spot, but every week, you've got to bring your 'A' game."

The Packers (6-6) put their recent unblemished string of December success on the line against the Tommy DeVito-led Giants (4-8) on Monday night. Before then, here's a closer look at LaFleur's December dominance in "Titletown."

Packers Approaching NFL December Record

LaFleur's predecessor, Mike McCarthy, was fired toward the end of the 2018 season, and the Packers lost the regular-season finale under interim coach Joe Philbin on December 30 of that campaign. That's the last time the franchise has been defeated in the final month of the year.

In the seasons since, the Packers have dominated leading up to the playoffs.

Green Bay has won its 16 December games since 2019 by an average score of 28-18. The Packers' opponents in those games—at the time of each December loss—have a combined record of 89-129-1. Still, LaFleur's team has the best record in the month of any franchise since he started roaming the home sideline at Lambeau Field. The Chiefs have the next-best December record since then at 16-3, followed by the Dallas Cowboys (14-4) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (13-5).

And a win against the Giants will inch the Packers closer to record territory. The only team to win more consecutive December games was the then-San Diego Chargers, who won 18 straight from 2006-09. The Packers enter Monday night's game at the Giants as a 6-point favorite, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

A win would not only preserve the perfect December mark but extend Green Bay's three-game winning streak and keep the Packers above the four 6-7 NFC teams vying for a Wild Card.

"We know exactly what position we're in," Packers quarterback Jordan Love said, via the team website. "Every game's like a playoff game for us. We know the mentality, we've got to win out. This team doesn't need a reminder of that."

Packers 2023 December Schedule

Including Monday night's matchup, the Packers still have four December games ahead of them, along with one in January.

Finishing the month undefeated again isn't an unrealistic task. Green Bay has the second-easiest remaining schedule in the league, based on opponent winning percentage. After a road primetime game against the four-win Giants, the Packers face the NFC South-leading Bucs (6-7), Carolina Panthers (1-12) and the division rival Minnesota Vikings (7-6) to close out the month.

The New York Times' Upshot simulator, as of Monday afternoon, gives Green Bay a 72 percent chance to make the playoffs in the first season of the post-Aaron Rodgers era. Not bad for a team that was three games under .500 not too long ago.

"It's how we're built," defensive lineman Kenny Clark said. "We've got a lot of veteran guys that understand it's a long season, and you don't let two or three games take you away from that."

The Packers currently sit in the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoff picture. The Detroit Lions (9-4) still control the North despite Sunday's 28-13 loss to the Chicago Bears (5-8), who suddenly have a top-five defense since the acquisition of defensive lineman Montez Sweat. Climbing to the top of the division this late in the season could be too tall a task for the Packers, but if they take advantage of the remaining schedule—and continue their December run in the process—it is a possibility.