Dope Sheet: Packers travel to play the Panthers

After two straight seasons of playing on Christmas, the Green Bay Packers visit the Carolina Panthers in Week 16 on Christmas Eve.

• It ties for the latest visit to Carolina (Week 16 in 1997).
• Including the postseason, the Packers are 11-6 (.647) against the Panthers.
• The Packers are 5-4 at Carolina and are looking for their first win as the road team in the series since a 30-23 victory in 2011.
• Green Bay has won both of the last two contests by the same score, 24-16 (2019-20). The Packers did not commit a turnover in either of those games.
• Each of the last four games and six of the last seven games have been decided by eight points or less.
• The Packers have scored 24-plus points in 15 of 17 games played against the Panthers in the regular and postseason, including in each of the last 10 contests.
• This will be the second time this season (Weeks 2-3) that Green Bay will play back-to-back games against NFC South teams.
• This is the first time the Packers have played games on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve in the same regular season. The Packers have played games in the same year on those days (1994), but the New Year's Eve contest was a playoff game:
  • Thanksgiving: N24, L at Dallas, 34-31
  • Christmas Eve: D24, W at Tampa Bay, 34-19
  • New Year's Eve: D31, NFC Wild Card, W vs. Detroit, 16-12
• The Packers are 4-4 in games played at 12 p.m. CT or earlier this season.
• For the third straight season and the fourth time in the last five, the Packers will finish the regular season with back-to-back NFC North contests. They will travel a state over to take on the Vikings in a prime-time matchup on New Year's Eve in Week 17 and then return home to face the Bears in the regular-season finale on either Jan. 6 or 7.

WITH THE CALL

FOX Sports, now in its 30th season as an NFL network television partner, will broadcast the game.

• Play-by-play man Chris Myers joins analyst Robert Smith with Jen Hale reporting from the sideline.
• The game is also available through NFL Sunday Ticket by YouTube.
• All Packers games can be heard on the Packers Radio Network, which is made up of 51 stations in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois and North and South Dakota. 97.3 The Game – WRNW-Milwaukee begins its second season as the flagship station of the Packers Radio Network. For a map and full listing of radio affiliates, go to packers.com/video/radio-network. Wayne Larrivee (play-by-play) and two-time Packers Pro Bowler Larry McCarren (analyst) call the action. McCarren first joined the team's broadcasts in 1995 and enters his 29th season calling Packers games. After originally being paired together in 1999, McCarren and Larrivee enter their 25th season of broadcasts together. They surpassed Jim Irwin and Max McGee for the most regular-season and postseason games broadcast for the Packers with 313 at the 2018 season opener against Chicago.
• The broadcast is also available on Sirius Satellite Radio on channels 138 or 381 or through the app (Packers Radio Network feed).

This is an abbreviated version of the Dope Sheet. Read the full version here (PDF).

THE DOPE ON THIS WEEK'S OPPONENT:

Packers at Panthers:

• All-time, regular season: 10-6
• All-time, postseason season: 1-0
• All-time, at Panthers (regular season): 5-4
• Streaks: Green Bay has won the last two matchups, both under head coach Matt LaFleur.
• Last meeting, regular season: Dec. 19, 2020, Lambeau Field, Packers won, 24-16

COACHES CAPSULES

• Matt LaFleur: 53-27-0, .663; (2-3 postseason); 5th NFL season
• Chris Tabor: 1-2, .333; (0-0 postseason); 1st NFL season
• Head to Head: LaFleur 0-0 vs. Tabor
• vs. Opponent: LaFleur 2-0 vs. Panthers; Tabor 0-0 vs. Packers

MATT LaFLEUR…In his fifth season as the Packers' 15th head coach.

• Enters his 15th season in the NFL, having previously served as an offensive coordinator for two seasons (Los Angeles Rams, 2017; Tennessee Titans, 2018), a quarterbacks coach for six seasons (Washington Redskins, 2010-13; Atlanta Falcons, 2015-16), and an offensive assistant for two seasons (Houston Texans, 2008-09).
• In his first four seasons leading the Packers, has authored one of the greatest starts to a head-coaching career in NFL history. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, his 47 wins are the second most in league history by a head coach in his first four seasons in the NFL, trailing only George Seifert (52 in 1989-92). Green Bay's 47-19 regular-season record since 2019 ranks No. 3 in the NFL and No. 1 in the NFC.
• Became the first coach in NFL history to post 13-plus wins in three straight seasons and his 39 wins from 2019-21 passed Seifert (38) for the most wins by an NFL head coach in his first three seasons in the league (Elias). His 39 wins are also tied for the second most by a coach over any three-season span in league history, trailing only Andy Reid's 40 wins with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2020-22 and Mike Ditka's 40 wins with the Chicago Bears from 1985-87 (Elias).
• Guided the Packers to a 27-6 record (.818) in the regular season from 2019-22 at Lambeau Field, the top home mark in the NFL since 2019. His .750 win percentage (18-6 record) against NFC North opponents in his first four seasons also ranks as the best in the history of the NFC North/Central (min. 10 games).
• In his first season leading the Packers in 2019, became the first coach in club history to lead the team to the playoffs in his debut season. Also led the largest one-year win improvement in team history (plus-seven wins).

CHRIS TABOR…In his first season as the Panthers' interim head coach.

• Is the team's special teams coordinator and added the title of interim head coach on Nov. 27, 2023.
• Served as the special teams coordinator for the Cleveland Browns (2011-17), the Chicago Bears 2018-21) and Carolina Panthers (2022-present).
• Helped the Panthers jump from 28th (2021) to fourth (2022) in Rick Gosselin's league-wide special teams rankings in just one season with Carolina.
• Coached a return specialist to the Pro Bowl in each of his seasons in Chicago, while the Bears ranked fifth in the NFL in yards per punt return (10.3) and tied for sixth in special teams touchdowns (four).
• Spent 13 seasons in the college ranks, coaching for Central Methodist, Missouri, Culver-Stockton, Utah State and Western Michigan.

This is an abbreviated version of the Dope Sheet. Read the full version here (PDF).

THE PACKERS-PANTHERS SERIES

• The first meeting between these franchises came in the 1996 NFC Championship, when the Packers defeated the Panthers, a team that was coached by former Green Bay defensive coordinator Dom Capers, 30-13, at Lambeau Field.
• Green Bay holds the longest win streak in the series, winning three consecutive games from 2001-04, and leads the all-time series at 10-6.
• The Packers have won the last two games in the series, beating Carolina by the same score, 24-16, in both games with both contests played at Lambeau Field.

NOTABLE CONNECTIONS

Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Panthers and spent the 2006 preseason in Carolina…Packers CB David Long Jr. played in three games for Carolina this season… Packers CB Robert Rochell spent time on the Panthers' practice squad this season…Packers director of college scouting Matt Malaspina spent the 1999 season as a scout for the Panthers…Packers CB Jaire Alexander attended Rocky River High School in Mint Hill, N.C. …Packers OL Zach Tom (2018-21) and special teams quality control coach Kyle Wilber (2008-11) both played college football at Wake Forest…Packers CB Keisean Nixon (2017-18) and LB Kingsley Enagbare (2018-21) both played collegiately at South Carolina…Packers assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia held various roles at South Carolina from 1988-93 and held the title of running backs/special teams coordinator/recruiting coordinator at Clemson from 1994-98…Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan played collegiately at South Carolina (1995-97) and then Gardner-Webb (1998-99)…Packers tight ends coach John Dunn is from Shelby, N.C., played collegiate football at the University of North Carolina (2001-03) and later coached at his alma mater in various roles (2004-07)…Packers passing game coordinator (defense) Greg Williams also played collegiately at UNC (1994-97)…Packers strength and conditioning coordinator Chris Gizzi was an assistant strength and conditioning coach at UNC in 2013…Packers coaching assistant Quinshon Odom played quarterback at Shaw University (N.C.) from 2010-13…Packers defensive quality control coach Justin hood spent two seasons (2016-17) in various roles at Davidson (N.C.) College and coached outside linebackers at Western Carolina for one season (2018)…Panthers offensive line coach James Campen was on Green Bay's coaching staff from 2004-2018, serving as an assistant offensive line/quality control (2004-05), assistant offensive line (2006), offensive line (2007-17), offensive line/run game coordinator (2018)…Campen also played for the Packers as an offensive lineman from 1989-93…Panthers senior defensive assistant Dom Capers served as Green Bay's defensive coordinator from 2009-17…Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero was a defensive quality control coach for the Packers in 2016…Panthers LS JJ Jansen entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Packers in 2008…Panthers senior assistant Jim Caldwell was born in Beloit, Wis. …Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown coached running backs at Wisconsin in 2014…Packers head coach Matt LaFleur (2017), defensive coordinator Joe Barry (2017-20), Panthers secondary/cornerbacks coach Jonathan Cooley (2020-22), Brown (2020-22) and Evero (2017-21) spent time on the Rams' staff together…Barry coached with Caldwell in Tampa Bay in 2001 and Panthers wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson in Detroit in 2007-08…Panthers interim head coach Chris Tabor and Packers senior analyst Tim Lester were on Western Michigan's staff together in 2005-06…Tabor also worked with Packers offensive line coach Luke Butkus on the Bears' staff (2008-09) and defensive backs coach Ryan Downard on the Browns' staff (2014-15)…Williams coached with Panthers assistant special teams coach Devin Fitzsimmons and Jefferson with the Cardinals…Panthers assistant defensive backs coach DeAngelo Hall (2008-17) was a teammate of Packers LB Preston Smith (2015-18) in Washington while LaFleur (2010-13), Barry (2015-16), and inside linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti (2000-10) were on the coaching staff…Olivadotti and Panthers tight ends coach John Lilly coached together at Georgia (2011-13)…Panthers defensive line coach Todd Wash (2013-20) coached with Packers pass rush specialist Jason Rebrovich (2017-20) and Butkus (2013-15) for Jacksonville…Wash also spent the 2009 season with Barry and Bisaccia in Tampa Bay…Panthers safeties coach Bert Watts served as the special teams coordinator/outside linebackers coach at Auburn in 2021 when Packers K Anders Carlson was a player…Packers LB De'Vondre Campbell and Panthers LB Deion Jones were teammates for Atlanta from 2016-2019 while LaFleur was on the Falcons' staff…Packers LS Matt Orzech and Panthers P Johnny Hekker were teammates with the Rams during the 2021 season…Packers LB Eric Wilson was teammates with Panthers WR Adam Thielen with the Vikings (2017-20)…Packers DL T.J. Slaton and Panthers OLB Brian Burns were high school teammates at American Heritage (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) High School…Former collegiate teammates: Carlson, Packers DL Colby Wooden, Panthers DE Derrick Brown and OLB Eku Leota (Auburn); Nixon and Panthers CB Jaycee Horn (South Carolina); Packers WR Christian Watson and Panthers G Nash Jensen (North Dakota State); Packers WR Malik Heath, G/T Royce Newman and Panthers WR Jonathan Mingo (Mississippi); Packers LB Rashan Gary, G Jon Runyan and Panthers DE Chris Wormley (Michigan); Packers QB Sean Clifford, T Rasheed Walker, Panthers OLB Yetur Gross-Matos and RB Miles Sanders (Penn State).