I missed last week’s By The Numbers post because I was out of town, but it was nice to have seen the Packers bounce back when they faced Minnesota a couple of weeks ago. I thought the ship had been righted, and that we would roll over the Bears on Thanksgiving. That wasn’t the case, despite the fact that not only were there some shitty calls in that game that would have altered the outcome but also because the Packers had several tries to get a game-winning touchdown at the end of the game and couldn’t get it done. Add that together with the disappointing losses to Detroit (which they could have won with a FG but missed) and Carolina (which was one touchdown and two point conversion from tying, which could have still gone either way in OT) and the past month has been rough for Packer Nation. It’s still likely that they will make the playoffs, but they need to win today vs. Detroit, and then not lose another game outside of maybe Arizona. That would leave them at 12-4 which should be good enough for the division, particularly if Minnesota has the same record going into the final game of the season. Playoff hopes aren’t dead at 7-4, but falling out of the division lead keeps the playoffs from being a guarantee. There are plenty of teams vying for the wildcard spots in the NFC, so the best strategy is just like Vic says: “Just Win, Baby.” Here’s my picks for the week:

Packers 20, Lions 13
Texans 20, Bills 14
Bears 24, 49ers 17
Bengals 31, Browns 10
Ravens 19, Dolphins 16
Vikings 24, Seachickens 20
Giants 27, Jets 14
Cardinals 30, Rams 21
Falcons 22, Buccs 17
Jaguars 17, Titans 13
Chiefs 28, Raiders 21
Broncos 36, Chargers 24
Patriots 28, Eagles 21
Saints 27, Panthers 21
Steelers 24, Colts 20
Skins 23, Cowboys 13