The Green Packers aim to secure playoff momentum against the Baltimore Ravens in an intriguing Week 17 matchup.
The Green Bay Packers clinched a spot in the playoffs this week without even playing. Does that make their loss in Week 16 to the Chicago Bears feel any better? No, not really. The Packers do at least get a shot in the dance, though, and that's all you can ask in the NFL -- where success year over year can sometimes be so volatile.
The Packers also have something to play for. The odds aren't great. In fact, even if they win their next two games, against the Baltimore Ravens and Minnesota Vikings, their odds of winning the NFC North are just 28-percent. There is a chance, though, and if the Packers go 2-0 to end the season and the Chicago Bears go 0-2 against the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions, that jumps up to a certainty.
So yes, the North is techincally still on the line. So is momentum, which is extremely important when a team is trying to make a run through the playoffs.
The final piece of the puzzle is health, though, and the Packers are a bit banged up. Could they use this Week 17 game against the Ravens to strategically rest some players?
We already know starting quarterback Jordan Love will be out (concussion). Ravens' starting quarterback Lamar Jackson is likely out as well.
Here's everything else you need to know about this Saturday night game in late December from Lambeau Field:
Game Time:
7:00 PM Lambeau Time
TV Channel:
Peacock
Betting Odds:
Packers -3.5 per DraftKings, O/U 38.5
Key Matchup: Packers QB Malik Willis vs. Ravens QB Tyler Huntley
This is not yet the official quarterback matchup in this game at the time of this writing, but we know that at the very least, backup Malik Willis is going to be the Packers' starter in this one.
That's just fine, too, because while he doesn't have the upside of Jordan Love, Willis can absolutely win this game for the Packers. He won two as a starter last season and came into a third game in replacement of an injured Love and won that game as well.
He also should have won the game last weekend against the Bears. At the very least, he played good enough to do so.
In Huntley, you've also got a quarterback who can win games. In his sixth season out of Utah, he's been a career backup but he's 6-9 as a starter and he's had stretches of playing good for the Ravens when called into action.
With Jackson doubtful with a back injury, the Ravens will most likely turn to Huntley in this one.
Whichever backup quarterback plays better in this game will walk away on the winning team.
Key Quote: Head coach Matt LaFleur on Malik Willis
"He's done a hell of a job," said LaFleur on Tuesday, according to Packer Report. "I think it's all bout his approach, how he came in here, how open he was to being coached—and we were pretty hard on him and his footwork. He's done an outstanding job. The more he plays, the better he's gotten. It's definitely—it's great to have a guy like him you have so much confidence in."
Prediction:
Packers 13, Ravens 9