When the NFL schedule first came out, many fans would have thought that tonight’s primetime matchup between the Rams and Packers would come with some major playoff implications. Unfortunately for us and the players on both teams, it does not. The host Packers are 7.5-point favorites against Baker Mayfield and the Rams, while the over/under is 39.5 points.
The Teams
Although technically still in the playoff hunt, the Packers are holding on by a thread right now. The team is third in the NFC North at 5-8 and in serious jeopardy of missing the playoffs for just the third time in fourteen years. Aaron Rodgers has struggled to find chemistry with his young receivers all season and the defence has been injured and inconsistent.
Tonight, however, things could go their way at home against the Rams. It should be a very cold night in Green Bay, so expect to see a lot of Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon out of the backfield for the Packers. The temperature certainly favors the home team as their run game is substantially better than Los Angeles’ rushing attack, especially given the fact that Aaron Donald will not be playing tonight.
For the Rams, the magic of Baker Mayfield may be their best hope tonight. The team is not used to playing in the cold, is riddled with injuries, and is officially out of playoff contention. With nothing to play for, it may be tough for this Rams team to NOT just roll over a little if Green Bay gets up early. Yes, Baker’s win last Thursday against the Raiders was awesome, but you can’t expect to see something like that every week. With so many players out, I just don’t see this team sticking around all game with the Packers in Lambeau, even with how mediocre Green Bay has been this season.
Rams and Packers – The Pick
It may be a boring game with little on the line, but we’ll still take the Packers to keep their very distant playoff hopes alive and win convincingly tonight. As long as Green Bay’s defence doesn’t lay an egg, it’s just hard to see the Rams scoring enough points to stick with them.
Packers –7.0
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