Will the Packers deliver their fans a win as a Christmas present on Saturday?
Christmas weekend is nearly upon us, and with Thursday Night Football nearly here to kick off week 16, the week should be a fascinating one around the NFL.
After the Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers meet this evening, the next game on the docket for the weekend will be the Green Bay Packers hosting the Cleveland Browns in the first game of a Christmas Day doubleheader. In that game, the Packers currently hold a 7.5-point advantage according to the sportsbooks, with the team getting some good news on the injury and illness front.
Among those positive items are the fact that Kenny Clark has returned to practice and appears to be a good bet to be reactivated off the reserve/COVID-19 list in time for the game. And, although wideout Marquez Valdes-Scantling is on the COVID list himself, Equanimeous St. Brown has cleared concussion protocol and should be able to play, perhaps helping to occupy the deep threat role.
The rest of the NFL has been hit hard by the Omicron variant again this week, with nearly every team seeing at least some impact from the ongoing pandemic. The New Orleans Saints, for example, will likely start third-string quarterback Ian Book against Miami after starter Taysom Hill and backup Trevor Siemien both landed on the list.
Here are our picks for this week’s games and be sure to make your selection below as well.