The NFL kicks off the bowl season in style tonight with the 2022 Disappointment Bowl from frigid, historic Lambeau Field, presented by New Coke. I doubt a matchup like this is what Joe Buck and Troy Aikman had in mind when they cashed in and moved over to ESPN.
Oh, I’m sure they were drooling when the schedule was released: Christmas week in Green Bay with two NFC powerhouses. What could go wrong? Um, yeah, about that.
The Los Angeles Rams are dead and buried, and the Green Bay Packers are a dead team walking. Yes, there are scenarios where the Pack sneak into the playoff field, and they are not completely far-fetched. But it would require them to win out and get a bunch of help. It’s the winning out part I struggle with, especially with a date with Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins on deck on Christmas.
But first things first: dispatching the Rams. This one should be the easiest of the remaining four on the schedule. No Aaron Donald, a negligible pass rush, and a banged-up secondary should make things relatively easy for Aaron Rodgers and Co. to operate. LA still boasts one of the league’s top run defenses, even without Donald, and they’re feisty when offenses reach the red zone.
But Rodgers feasts on Monday Night Football for some reason (he’s won eight straight), and he’ll have the healthiest group around him he’s had all season, starting with himself. Gone is the protective tape on his injured thumb. David Bakhtiari is the only starter missing, who’s still recovering from his appendectomy.
Back is Romeo Doubs, who finally take the field with fellow rookie Christian Watson — amazingly, they’ve shared the field for only 65 snaps all season. Whether he’s ready for a full workload remains to be seen. But there should be opportunities for him, assuming Rams corner Jalen Ramsey will be preoccupied with trying to keep Christian Watson under wraps.
From a national perspective, the most interesting storyline revolves around Baker Mayfield and how he will follow up last week’s storybook finish in Las Vegas after joining the team around 48 hours before kickoff. Mayfield gave the offense some juice, and he should feel more at home after ten more days to get more comfortable with Sean McVay’s system.
You have to believe McVay will help Mayfield out by featuring running back Cam Akers, who’s come alive the last couple of weeks and has to be stoked to test Green Bay’s perennially woeful run defense. If the Packers can keep Akers in check and force the Rams to throw, Baker will likely display his Holiday spirit and throw a few balls Green Bay’s way. They picked him off four times last year on Christmas Day, and Jaire Alexander is already chirping about how many he plans to catch.
I expect a low-scoring affair, with Rodgers doing most of the offensive damage through the air. The epitaph on the Packers’ 2022 season is coming. But it’s not coming tonight.
Packers 20
Rams 12
