Game 17 - Does it really matter?: Packers @ Vikings - Sunday, Jan. 4th @ 12:00 PM

[OldHeidelberg]

1 hour ago, adambr2 said:

You hate to ever overstate the importance of one game, but is this the most important game of Matt Lafleur’s career?

Win, and no matter what happens in the divisional round, I can wrap my head around the logic of “look, even with all the injuries we had, we were still one of the final 4 teams in the conference”, and MLF and Gute getting extended. I may not agree with it, but I can see it.

Lose… and it’s a lot tougher to justify. You can still point to the injuries, but a 5 game losing streak to finish the season, another one and done… it’s not the best time to hand out an extension and just basically admit that the status quo is fine.

He should be coaching for his job this week but not sure how the Packers view it. He didn't get it done when he had the bye's and home games and now he can't even get a home playoff game. A playoff win makes a lot go away but a loss as a favorite to a rival should not sit well with the organization. Will they let him coach next year without an extension? I am not sure if we have done that before.

 

Early weather forecast looks like upper 20's and windy Saturday night, a lot like that last game there.  

[LouisEly]

Andy Reid looked like the greatest coach of our generation... when he had peak Mahomes, Kelce, and Chris Jones.  

Now that those guys are injured and past their prime... 6-11, losing the last 6 in a row.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

1 hour ago, Team Canada said:

It's crazy to me that the Packers are favored.

Why wouldn't they be? For all intents and purposes they should have swept the Bears with a backup QB. I expect that line to move to a push by Saturday though.

[Team Canada]

2 hours ago, OldSchoolSnapper said:

Why wouldn't they be? For all intents and purposes they should have swept the Bears with a backup QB. I expect that line to move to a push by Saturday though.

Not having Parsons seems like a key factor.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

1 minute ago, Team Canada said:

Not having Parsons seems like a key factor.

Didn't have him in the game I am referring to, either.

[Sixtolezcano]

6 hours ago, adambr2 said:

Do the majority of posters here live in the Green Bay or Milwaukee television markets?

Serious question, I don’t know. I don’t.

Twin Cities via Wauwatosa.

 

[adambr2]

The Packers aren’t favored. The line is Bears by 1.5, which is what I believe it opened at.

[OldHeidelberg]

27 minutes ago, adambr2 said:

The Packers aren’t favored. The line is Bears by 1.5, which is what I believe it opened at.

According to ESPN it opened at Packers -1.5 and is now Bears -1.5. Early money on Bears but it could swing back.   

[adambr2]

3 minutes ago, OldHeidelberg said:

According to ESPN it opened at Packers -1.5 and is now Bears -1.5. Early money on Bears but it could swing back.   

Interesting. I heard Bears by 1.5 from the get go. I think it all fits the notion that this is a toss up game.

[OldHeidelberg]

39 minutes ago, adambr2 said:

Interesting. I heard Bears by 1.5 from the get go. I think it all fits the notion that this is a toss up game.

That's what I saw last night too, then it was Packers -1.5 this morning and now Bears again. Yep, it's a pick and I even saw that on one site when trying to figure out what it really is. 

[CheezWizHed]

2 hours ago, adambr2 said:

The Packers aren’t favored. The line is Bears by 1.5, which is what I believe it opened at.

If anyone cares, I favor the Packers... 😉

[Fear The Chorizo]

3 hours ago, adambr2 said:

Interesting. I heard Bears by 1.5 from the get go. I think it all fits the notion that this is a toss up game.

Isn't the rule of thumb that playing at home gives a line 3 or 3.5 points?  So even if the Bears opened at -1.5 Vegas essentially is saying this is a coinflip 

[SeaBass]

19 hours ago, LouisEly said:

They will be.  But I live in Denver.

That is an issue. Sign up with a new/different email address for a free trial if Amazon still offers those?

Optionally, playoff games can be streamed on NFL+ for a $6.99 monthly fee which would be cheaper than an Amazon Prime $14.99 monthly fee.

[endaround]

Almost all Amazon games are free to view on Twitch.tv.

[SeaBass]

21 hours ago, adambr2 said:

Do the majority of posters here live in the Green Bay or Milwaukee television markets?

Serious question, I don’t know. I don’t.

I am in the Green Bay TV market but I also have an Amazon Prime subscription. The Green Bay/Milwaukee TV markets are a very populous region but obviously that's still not going to cover Packers fans in Wisconsin outside those areas and that really sucks. The days where folks only relied on antenna reception for TV broadcasts is far past. It's hard for me to fathom that folks in Madison for instance don't have access to the local broadcast.

[SeaBass]

4 minutes ago, endaround said:

Almost all Amazon games are free to view on Twitch.tv.

That's a good point but I believe they partner with Twitch streamers that "call" those games and provide commentary? Correct me if I'm wrong. So people would be at the mercy of those personalities talking over the game. I also don't really view this as a viable option for people that rely mostly on traditional TV broadcasts especially older generations.

[endaround]

5 minutes ago, SeaBass said:

That's a good point but I believe they partner with Twitch streamers that "call" those games and provide commentary? Correct me if I'm wrong. So people would be at the mercy of those personalities talking over the game. I also don't really view this as a viable option for people that rely mostly on traditional TV broadcasts especially older generations.

No they are the main and secondary (Amazon NextGen Stats enhanced or whatever ) broadcasts. But yeah you will want to hide the chat for those streams.

[JosephC]

betus.com, an actual sportsbook has the line as a pick 'em.  Over/under is 45 1/2.

[GAME05]

I'd take the Bears if it's a pick'em as well as the under, though I was only ever a break-even sports gambler.

Does Twitch show the video of the game or is it more like the Tom Grossi stream where he calls the game but you don't see anything?

And Amazon Prime is $15/mo??? I really should check what I'm paying for that. I only have it for two-day shipping (which still takes 7-10 days) and I thought you got free two-day as long as you ordered more than $35 of stuff at once, which is easy enough to do.

[homer]

2 hours ago, JosephC said:

betus.com, an actual sportsbook has the line as a pick 'em.  Over/under is 45 1/2.

Any book that takes money is an actual sportsbook.

[SeaBass]

49 minutes ago, GAME05 said:

And Amazon Prime is $15/mo??? I really should check what I'm paying for that. I only have it for two-day shipping (which still takes 7-10 days) and I thought you got free two-day as long as you ordered more than $35 of stuff at once, which is easy enough to do.

$14.99 per month or $139 annually. I think they've moved away from the $35 requirement to get two day shipping, it's more about whether the item is eligible or not. You can also get one day shipping for eligible items. Depending on where you're located of course, if you're in a remote area I'm sure your experience will differ.

Quote

Does Twitch show the video of the game or is it more like the Tom Grossi stream where he calls the game but you don't see anything?

Amazon owns Twitch so I believe they can show the actual game.

[GAME05]

On 1/6/2026 at 2:55 PM, SeaBass said:

$14.99 per month or $139 annually.

Thanks. I think when it was $100 I kinda forgot about it. But $15/mo suddenly seems like a lot. Google is saying free shipping for non-Prime people if the product says "free shipping" and that it has to be fulfilled by Amazon. 

My co-worker says she'll get stuff from Amazon the next day, but I guess Amazon treats my little area as if I'm AKCheesehead and it takes 7-10 days, regardless.

[madbad2000]

12 hours ago, GAME05 said:

Thanks. I think when it was $100 I kinda forgot about it. But $15/mo suddenly seems like a lot. Google is saying free shipping for non-Prime people if the product says "free shipping" and that it has to be fulfilled by Amazon. 

My co-worker says she'll get stuff from Amazon the next day, but I guess Amazon treats my little area as if I'm AKCheesehead and it takes 7-10 days, regardless.

I gave up on Amazon Prime last year and haven't noticed a big difference.  We have an Amazon distribution warehouse like 5 miles from my house and quite a few of the items I was getting were coming in past the two day shipping.

I also scratch my head at USPS because our mail seems to go through Birmingham (hour and 45 mins away) even when sending letters in the neighborhood or city.  So we send a letter, it goes to Birmingham and then comes back to Madison, AL two-three days later.  I would have assumed they have a mail processing center in Huntsville at a minimum. 

[CheezWizHed]

1 hour ago, madbad2000 said:

I gave up on Amazon Prime last year and haven't noticed a big difference.  We have an Amazon distribution warehouse like 5 miles from my house and quite a few of the items I was getting were coming in past the two day shipping.

I also scratch my head at USPS because our mail seems to go through Birmingham (hour and 45 mins away) even when sending letters in the neighborhood or city.  So we send a letter, it goes to Birmingham and then comes back to Madison, AL two-three days later.  I would have assumed they have a mail processing center in Huntsville at a minimum. 

It certainly seems like "Prime" doesn't bring much benefit anymore...just rolling off people (like me) that never bother to cancel. 

I've seen lots of odd mail deliveries (USPS, UPS, FedEx) where it seems like things bounce from the midwest to the east coast and then back... I'm sure there is a reason, but it certainly seems odd. 

[Jimbo]

Re: USPS.  It is my understanding that about five years ago distribution centers started closing to save money.  I believe letters mailed from Madison to Madison first have to go through Milwaukee.  But, I may be wrong.