Heading into their Week 15 matchup with the Denver Broncos late Sunday afternoon, the Green Bay Packers knew they had to have a victory to maintain their lead in the NFC North over the Chicago Bears, who had improved to 10-4 in the early-afternoon slot with an emphatic 31-3 win over the Cleveland Browns.
But that obviously didn't happen. After taking a 23-14 lead just over a minute into the second half following a 40-yard touchdown run from Josh Jacobs, Green Bay was outscored 20-3 the rest of the way, with Denver upping its winning streak to 11 and ultimately clinching a playoff spot with a 34-26 win.
The defeat hurt, of course, as the Packers fell out of first place in the division and dropped from the No. 2 seed in the NFC down to the final wild-card slot at No. 7. But Green Bay lost so much more than just a football game, first losing Zach Tom to a knee injury and then Christian Watson to a shoulder injury. Thankfully, both seem to have avoided long-term issues. And while neither may suit up for the Packers' crucial Week 16 matchup with the Bears on Saturday, both should be able to return before the end of the regular season.
Sadly, though, the same can't be said for Micah Parsons, who went down in the third quarter with what has now been officially confirmed as a torn ACL in his left knee, which obviously ends his season and puts the Packers' hopes of making a Super Bowl run in serious jeopardy. The fact that Devonte Wyatt has already been lost for the year with a fractured ankle doesn't help matters either.
Green Bay isn't completely done, of course, as there's still plenty of talent on both sides of the football. But losing a player like Parsons undoubtedly makes life more difficult. Just ask the Dallas Cowboys how that's working out. At 9-4-1, the Packers are still in great shape to make the playoffs, but their odds to win Super Bowl 60 have naturally taken a significant hit over the last few days.
Packers' Super Bowl odds plummet after a nightmare Week 15
Ahead of the battle with the Broncos, Green Bay was tied with the Seattle Seahawks for the second-best odds to hoist the Lombardi Trophy come February at +700, with the two clubs trailing only the NFC West-leading Los Angeles Rams (+390), who punched their ticket to the playoffs on Sunday with a 41-34 win over the Detroit Lions.
Now, however, the Packers sit behind six other teams in a tie for seventh with the AFC East-leading New England Patriots at +1500. Here's a quick look at the complete list of Super Bowl 60 betting odds as listed at DraftKings heading into Week 16.
- Los Angeles Rams: +320
- Seattle Seahawks: +650
- Denver Broncos: +800
- Buffalo Bills: +800
- Houston Texans: +1100
- Philadelphia Eagles: +1200
- Green Bay Packers: +1500
- New England Patriots: +1500
- Jacksonville Jaguars: +1600
- San Francisco 49ers: +2200
- Baltimore Ravens: +2200
- Los Angeles Chargers: +2500
- Chicago Bears: +3000
- Detroit Lions: +3000
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: +5500
- Pittsburgh Steelers: +7000
- Carolina Panthers: +25000
- Indianapolis Colts: +40000
- Dallas Cowboys: +100000
This may not look like a significant hit, but it's bigger than it seems. But hey, at least the Packers are still getting far better odds than the Bears, right?
Getting a home game in the postseason would undoubtedly be beneficial, and the best way to start getting that done, of course, is to retake possession of first place in the NFC North this Saturday with a win over Chicago. The loss of Parsons is devastating, but the Packers simply now have to do their best to move forward with what they've got.