The Green Bay Packers are coming off of back-to-back overtime wins/covers and now have a 3-5 straight up and 4-4 against the spread record this season, without Aaron Rodgers. But excitement is VERY high as Rodgers is expected back in play here in Week 15, as they get ready to face-off against the Carolina Panthers for a key NFC game on Sunday in Charlotte.
Betting Preview for the Green Bay Packers vs Carolina Panthers NFL Week 15 Game on December 17 2017
Where: Bank of America Stadium
When: Sunday, December 17, 1:00 PM EST
Line: Greenbay Packers (+6) vs Carolina Panthers (-6) – view all 2017 NFL lines
TV Broadcast: Fox
Betting on the Greenbay Packers (7-6)
The Packers scored the last 20 points in the game to win at Cleveland in overtime. It was dramatic but even without Aaron Rodgers they shouldn’t have needed all that time to put away the Browns, Rodgers position is secure but Brett Hundley definitely had his best game as a pro. Not only did he play really well when they needed him but they trusted him enough to throw it in a situation they could have easily just run. It led to the winning score in OT.
Rodgers is eligible to return for this game and will be ready for this game. The Packers did not run for much against Cleveland but they were committed to it. Hundley gives them a wrinkle they never had with Rodgers. Davante Adams seems to have developed the best chemistry with the young QB. He had more targets than Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson combined.
The Green Bay defense was not very good against Cleveland though I suppose they stiffened when it mattered most. The problem is that against a team like that you never know if it just their own ineptitude that stopped them. Very concerning is how much the Browns gained on the ground. Carolina always looks to pound opponents first and if the Packers can’t stop them it could be a very long game. Green Bay finds themselves in another must win situation. It really doesn’t matter how at this point they just have to get the job done.
Betting on the Carolina Panthers (9-4)
Carolina has to be feeling pretty good after they beat Minnesota last week. It was a battle of two playoff bound teams and put Carolina back into contention in the NFC South. They just need some help from New Orleans who they lost to twice. The Panthers won but it was not a banner day for Cam Newton. As good as he can be it is amazing how sometimes this group wins in spite of him. In this particular case the running game really stepped up.
Jonathan Stewart scored three times and looked friskier than he has all season. He topped 100 yards for just the second time and doubled his scoring input with the three scores. Cam was Cam though and ripped off a 62 yard run. Green Bay is far from elite on defense so I can see him squeezing off something similar again in this one.
The Panthers defense was good enough to beat Minnesota. The key thing was forcing Case Keenum into a couple of interceptions. This will be an interesting week of prep as they won’t know if they are getting Hundley or Rodgers until later in the week. They are far from similar too.
Writer’s Prediction
The fact that the home team is favored is not shocking. It will just be interesting to see what happens if Rodgers is good to go. The Panthers caught the Vikings in a good situation last week and won the turnover battle to get the win. I don’t see this team as elite. I am expecting they will just do what they are supposed to do, win at home against a team at the same level. It will be a close one though. Pick: Carolina (-3.0)
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