The Green Bay Packers are in a celebratory mood after securing the NFC North title in the previous week. What this means is that they can enjoy and have a lovely Christmas Day, which is when they welcome the Cleveland Browns at Lambeau Field.
The Packers have got their job done in the regular season, while the Browns still have a lot of work to do. With three more weeks of football, the Browns still have a chance to book a ticket to the postseason, but for that to happen, they need to win at least a couple of more games.
That said, they’re coming to Green Bay with a win on their minds. Knowing that the Packers are 6-0 at Lambeau Field in 2021, causing them their first home loss of the season would be a sort of Christmas miracle.
Browns vs Packers Odds (NFL Week 16, 2021)
All odds are per FanDuel as of December 21.
Moneyline
| Cleveland Browns | +190 |
| Green Bay Packers | -230 |
Spread
| Cleveland Browns +2 | -105 |
| Green Bay Packers -2 | -115 |
Over/Under
| Over 49 | -110 |
| Under 49 | -110 |
Where and When to Watch
- Date: Saturday, December 25,
- Time: 4:30 pm ET
- Location: Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI
- Watch: FOX
Cleveland Praying for Mayfield’s Comeback
The Browns are 7-7 right now, which still keeps them in the competition for the AFC North title. They might be on the very bottom of the divisional table, but the team from the top (Cincinnati Bengals) has only one win more than them.
Even if they don’t succeed in winning the divisional title, they could still get to the postseason via Wild Card. With a .500 record, they’re currently 11th in the AFC Rankings, which isn’t good enough, but they do have a chance to improve.
Actually, they had a good chance to improve their record and get to 8-6 in their Monday Night Football clash with the Las Vegas Raiders. Unfortunately for the Browns, they ended up losing 16-14, the main reason being that they played with their third-choice quarterback Nick Mullens.
The reason? Both the Browns starting QB Baker Mayfield and his backup Case Keenum tested positive for COVID-19 before that game.
The good news is that Mayfield could return before Christmas. The story goes that he caught the virus after Week 14, even though he’s vaccinated. As he had no symptoms, Mayfield was hopeful he would test negative ahead of the Raiders game. His wish didn’t come true.
However, one week later, it’s very likely he will test negative. And if he tests negative twice in 24 hours, he will be allowed to play on Christmas Day.
Aaron Rodgers Wants to Break a Record at Home
The Packers beat the Baltimore Ravens in Week 15, which won them the NFC North title. The game saw their quarterback Aaron Rodgers throwing three touchdown passes. By doing that, the reigning MVP tied the franchise record for most touchdown passes.
With 442 TD passes, Rodgers is now tied with another Green Bay legend, Brett Favre, with a chance to break that record on Christmas in front of his faithful fans.
Knowing that he’s thrown a total of 15 TD passes at Lambeau Field in the 2021 season, it’s almost certain he’ll break Favre’s record. The question is whether that will be enough to beat the super-motivated Browns?
Well, the answer depends on several factors, the most important being Baker Mayfield. If he returns, the Browns’ chance of winning will skyrocket.
Picks: Cleveland Browns to win; over 49 to hit