Last week it took literal last-second heroics from KARL BROOKS for the Green Bay Packers to win against a downright awful Chicago Bears team.
This week, they met up with the NFL equivalent of the villain in an 80s movie about high school. Ever since Jerry Rice fumbled, they San Francisco 49ers have repeatedly pantsed the Packers, stolen their lunch money, stuffed them in a locker, and TP’d their house.
People who are not solely fans of the Packers are going to say that there is an asterisk next to the absolute boat race of a game, but Keisean Nixon said it best:
Keisean Nixon doesn’t want to hear that the 49ers were banged up:
“It’s the NFL. It’s not an excuse. We didn’t have our quarterback. We won three games, so we don’t wanna hear that. We came to play. They should’ve came to play.”
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) November 25, 2024
The 49ers might not have had a few important pieces, but they did have their nepo baby running back. Christian, the son of former Denver Bronco and current mustard salesman Ed McCaffery, had an abysmal showing that included 2.8 yards per carry and a fumble caused by Keisean “I AM a crook” Nixon.
So what does that mean for the playoffs? LET’S LOOK AT THE NUMBERS:
At the end of last week’s game, FanDuel had the Packers at -480 to make the playoffs. As of right now, Green Bay sits at -2200! Holy buckets. The implied percentage at -480 is about 82%. The current implied percentage to make the playoffs for Green Bay is over 95%.
Their odds to win the NFC North have gotten just a bit longer with the Vikings and Lions both winning their games this week. They were +1500 before the games and +1600 after.
Interesting note: The Packers have roughly the same odds to win the Super Bowl as they do to with the division.
Things are looking up, especially compared to how they had ended last week. There’s a short turnaround before the Miami Dolphins come into Lambeau for a Thanksgiving game. Green Bay is currently favored with the line being -3.5. The weather report is showing it’s gonna be cold with lows down into the teens.
If you were to look at the just-linked Packers-specific odds page, there’s a fun little nugget hidden in the “Futures” section. The odds of being the NFC champions are +750. Looks like Vegas thinks the Packers have a half-decent shot at making it to the Super Bowl, but expects them to do so by taking the long road.
Full NFC standings
1. Detroit Lions (10-1)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (9-2)
3. Seattle Seahawks (6-5, win over ARI, win over ATL)
4. Atlanta Falcons (6-5. loss to SEA)
5. Minnesota Vikings (9-2)
6. Green Bay Packers (8-3)
7. Washington Commanders (7-5)
8. Arizona Cardinals (6-5, loss to SEA)
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6, 5-3 NFC)
10. Los Angeles Rams (5-6, win over SF, 3-5 NFC)
11. San Francisco 49ers (5-6, loss to LAR)
12. New Orleans Saints (4-7, 3-4 NFC)
13. Chicago Bears (4-7, 2-4 NFC)
14. Dallas Cowboys (4-7, 2-5 NFC)
15. Carolina Panthers (3-8)
16. New York Giants (2-9)
