GREEN BAY, Wis. – Matt LaFleur only makes the playoffs. Well, mostly anyway. The Green Bay Packers clinched a playoff spot with a 34-0 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Monday, meaning they will head to the postseason for the fifth time in LaFleur’s six seasons as head coach.

The only time the Packers have missed the playoffs under LaFleur was in Aaron Rodgers’ final season, 2022, when they went into the final game of the season needing a win to qualify and lost to the Detroit Lions.

If the Packers (11-4) win their remaining two regular-season games – at the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday and at home against the Chicago Bears in Week 18 – it would give LaFleur its fourth 13-win regular season.

The Saints, whose backup Spencer Rattler started at quarterback in place of the injured Derek Carr (hand) and were without several of their best players, including running back Alvin Kamara (groin), didn’t offer much resistance early on.

The Packers took an early 21-0 lead and scored touchdowns on their first three drives at the Bears for the first time since Week 17 of the 2020 season.

Promising trend: At this point it has gone beyond a trend. Josh Jacobs scoring a rushing touchdown is now an expectation. Jacobs’ 2-yard scoring run in the second quarter made it his sixth straight game with a rushing touchdown. This is the second-longest streak in Packers history, behind only Paul Hornung (seven in 1960). Jacobs finished the game with 13 carries for 69 yards and a touchdown, as well as four catches for 38 yards.

Promising trend II: When Keisean Nixon came home on his cornerback blitz late in the second quarter, the stripped Rattler and defensive end Rashan Gary recovered the fumble, giving the Packers their 27th takeaway of the season. Safety Zayne Anderson’s third-quarter interception, the first of his career, tied them for third in the NFL with the Bills and Texans with 28 takeaways. Last year there were only 18 takeaways all season.

Most surprising performance: We know the Packers like to run the ball. According to ESPN Research, they came with intent on 48% of their plays this season, the second-highest rate in the NFL this season. But that was unusual even by Packers standards. Nine different players had at least one rushing attempt, including tight end Tucker Kraft, who converted a sneak on third-and-1, and Chris Brooks with his first career rushing touchdown. The last time the Packers had nine players with at least one rushing attempt in a game was 1953. — Rob Demovsky

Next game: on Vikings (4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday)

The Saints were officially eliminated from the playoffs before Monday night’s game against the Packers, and they played like it.

Interim coach Darren Rizzi needed a solid performance from the team in Green Bay to make his case for removing the interim title and naming him head coach. But the Saints were never really in the game, falling to a 21-0 deficit and failing to put the ball in the red zone all game.

According to ESPN Research, it was the first time since 1997 that the Saints were shut out in the first half of consecutive games. They lost 20-19 to the Washington Commanders last week after failing to score in the first two quarters.

The Saints still have two games left, but they have shown that they still have a lot of work to do in the offseason to become a competitive team. This is the second time in three seasons the Saints have lost games by double digits. Before 2022, they hadn’t lost 10 or more since 2005.

Worrying trend: The Saints, who started rookie Rattler, are now 0-5 as starting backup quarterbacks this season and have averaged just 12.8 points per game compared to 24.5 in those five meetings per game under Carr. He is under contract for two more seasons and will count $51.4 million against the salary cap in 2025 if the Saints keep him without restructuring his contract.

Most surprising performance: The offense was always going to be a challenge without its starting quarterback, running back (Kamara) and big-play receiver (Chris Olave). But the defense just didn’t let up. The Packers were able to pick the unit apart at will, and the Saints didn’t help themselves with missed tackles, penalties and explosive plays – the story of their season.

QB breakdown: The Saints returned Rattler as the starter after Jake Haener was subbed last week after one half and 39 net yards of offense. Rattler was able to make some plays with his feet and had a few nice throws against the Packers, but the offense certainly couldn’t pick up where it left off last week against Washington. He has now been sacked 17 times in his five games this season. — Katherine Terrell

Next game: vs. Raiders (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)