The New England Patriots in recent weeks have made a pretty good case as to being the best team in the National Football League. The Green Bay Packers, on the other hand, suddenly find themselves in serious trouble as far as making the playoffs goes. And Green Bay might be shorthanded at quarterback when the Pack and the Patriots hook up on Sunday Night Football this weekend at Gillette Stadium (8:20 pm Eastern, NBC).
The Packers, at 8-5, are only a game back of Chicago in the NFC North, and they're a game out in the race for the two NFC Wild Card spots. And they host the Bears the final game of the season. But none of that will matter if QB Aaron Rodgers, who absorbed his second concussion of this season last Sunday, can't play. His status for Sunday night is uncertain, and that's why
BetJamaica.com is holding off on putting a line on this game.
Green Bay lost at Detroit last Sunday 7-3, failing on a 4th-and-1 in Lions territory driving for the winning score in the final minute. Packers backup QB Matt Flynn didn't look too bad, going 15-for-26 for 177 yards in relief of the injured Rodgers, but he threw a terrible interception in the Detroit end zone late in the third quarter that kept Green Bay from adding to a 3-0 lead.
New England, meanwhile, has won its last two games, over the Jets and Bears, by a combined score of 81-10. So at 11-2 the Patriots lead Pittsburgh by a game and a tiebreaker in the battle for the best record in the AFC and home-field advantage throughout the upcoming playoffs.
Six weeks ago the Patriots got punked by the Cleveland Browns 34-14, and questions arose as to New England's Super Bowl prospects. Since then the Pats are 5-0, and have averaged 39 PPG.
Green Bay ranks 11th in offense this season and ninth in defense, and no team has allowed fewer points this year, 14.5 PPG. But the Packers have lost five games by 3, 3, 3, 3, and 4 points.
And as if the Pack doesn't have enough to deal with, they'll be fighting a bit of history Sunday night. New England has won 26 games in a row at home with QB Tom Brady starting - that's a new league record. The Pats are also 14-10-2 ATS during that streak.
Also, in one of the more remarkable streaks we've heard of in a while, New England has gone five straight games without committing a turnover.
Packers games have averaged 38 PPG this season, a touchdown less than the league average of 44 PPG. That's why Green Bay is 4-9 on the totals. Patriots games, meanwhile, are averaging 53 PPG, and that's why they're a lopsided 11-2 on the totals.
These two teams last met four years ago, when New England went into Lambeau Field and embarrassed the Packers 35-0.