RODGERS THROWS THREE TD PASSES AS PACKERS BEAT RAVENS

It might not go down in the Green Bay Packers’ history books alongside Vince Lombardi, Bart Starr and Brett Favre but Aaron Rodgers may very well have saved their 2009 NFL season.  A month ago, they had dropped to .500 and looked to be in a downward spiral but they’ve since won four straight games and have a good shot at making the playoffs.  On Sunday, the Packers defeated the Baltimore Ravens 27-14 in a game that everyone involved conceded was ‘ugly’.  The Packers improved to 8-4 with the victory while the Ravens dropped to 6-6.

Despite the ‘ugly’ win, the Packers covered the NFL pointspread as -4 home favorites.  Green Bay improved their ATS record to 7-4-1 while Baltimore failed to cover for the third straight week and evened their mark against the number at 6-6.  The 41 combined points scored went UNDER the posted total of 43.  The Packers evened their NFL totals mark at 6-6, while the Ravens have gone UNDER in 7 of 12 this year including five of their last six.
 
“Ugly” was the recurring theme in the Packers’ post game interviews starting with wide receiver Donald Driver:

"It wasn't pretty out there, but a win is a win. We had to get this one to stay ahead in the playoff race."

Coach Mike McCarthy wondered aloud about the large number of penalties called on both teams (23 combined for 310 yards, the second highest in NFL history) but praised his team for dealing with the situation:

"I'll say this about our football team: I was very proud and excited the way they overcame the adversity.”

Ravens’ coach John Harbaugh tried to put on a happy face rather than sound a sad trombone when talking about the loss:

"We've got plenty to be encouraged about. We're in a tight race for the wild card, we are every bit in it. Everybody, they'll say what they'll say. It's a week-to-week proposition in this league."

Green Bay will play their next two games on the road, starting with a trip to ‘The Windy City’ to face their hated rivals the Chicago Bears.  The Packers are a -3 point road favorite with the total set at 41.  They’ll travel to Pittsburgh the following week before returning home for a game against the Seattle Seahawks on December 27.  The Ravens will play two straight at home, beginning with the lowly Detroit Lions this Sunday.  Baltimore is a -13 point home favorite with the total set at 39’.  They’ll then host the Chicago Bears before playing at Pittsburgh on December 27.