Welcome to the Tuesday edition of the Pick Six Newsletter!
The Packers got an early Christmas present on Monday night and that present is that their playoff hopes are still alive. I’m not saying they’re going to get in, but after watching the way the Patriots lost on Sunday, I’m not going to rule out anything ever again.
We’ve got a full newsletter today where we’ll be talking about the Packers’ playoff chances, plus we’ll be taking a look at Pete Prisco’s latest power rankings and I’ll be unveiling my early picks for Week 16. Also, we just unveiled a new NFL podcast here at CBS Sports and I’ll be giving you the details on that.
Here’s your weekly reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the Pick Six newsletter. To get them to sign up, all you have to do is click here and then share this link with them. Alright, let’s get to the rundown.
1. Today’s show: Packers keep playoff hopes alive
The Packers needed a win in the worst kind of way Monday night, and although they only led by four points at halftime, they steamrolled the Rams in the second half of what ended up being a 24-12 win.
Here are three key things from the game that Ryan Wilson, Will Brinson and I covered during our postgame podcast:
- Packers dominated the Rams on a bitter cold night. The Packers let the Rams hang around for one half, but then they kicked the door open with a dominant second half. The Packers offense simply wore down the Rams with a constant barrage of runs and short passes. Aaron Jones (16 carries for 87 yards) led a rushing attack that totaled 138 yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries. Aaron Rodgers was also sharp in the second half, completing 12 of 15 passes. Rodgers took advantage of the return of Romeo Doubs, who caught a team-high five passes for 55 yards. Before Monday, Doubs hadn’t played since Week 9 due to injury. Defensively, the Packers defense beat up on Baker Mayfield to the tune of five sacks, with two of those coming from Preston Smith.
- Rams offense sputters with Baker Mayfield. This game marked Baker Mayfield’s first start for the Rams and being forced to make your first start in 15-degree weather isn’t exactly ideal. With Mayfield running the show, the offense sputtered for most of the night. The offense did show sparks of life at times, but the Rams simply got overwhelmed by a Packers defense that sacked Mayfield five times while limiting the Rams…
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