Packers NFL futures: Green Bay still with long-shot playoff odds after dominating eliminated Rams

Monday night's home game against a decimated and struggling Los Angeles Rams team was must-win for the Green Bay Packers coming out of their bye week, and Aaron Rodgers & Co. took care of business fairly easily, 24-12, to improve to 6-8. However, the Packers are still +650 longshots at DraftKings to make the postseason for a fourth straight year and -1200 to miss out.

On a brutally cold night at Lambeau Field, Rodgers threw for 229 yards (still no 300-yard games this year) with a touchdown and pick in his ninth straight win on Monday night, tied for the third-longest such streak. The Packers largely relied on their running game against the Aaron Donald-less Rams. Aaron Jones rushed for 90 yards on 17 carries and AJ Dillon scored two TDs on the ground.

The Green Bay defense held Baker Mayfield and the punchless LA offense to a meager 156 yards as the defending Super Bowl champions were eliminated from playoff contention. It's the second-earliest a defending champion has been eliminated from playoff contention in the last 30 seasons. Only the 1999 Broncos, who were eliminated in Week 14, were knocked out sooner. That Broncos team had a pretty good excuse: John Elway had retired after winning a second straight Super Bowl. The Rams also tied those '99 Broncos for the most losses by a defending Super Bowl champion with 10.

Entering Week 15, the SportsLine Projection Model gave Green Bay a 7.9% chance of the playoffs and that number is now 12.7% -- which equates to about +690 on the moneyline. ESPN Analytics gives the Packers a 12.2% chance. A loss on Monday would have reduced that to 0.8%.

The Packers sit 10th in the NFC and two games in the loss column out of the final wild card spot held by Washington (7-6-1). Green Bay loses a head-to-head tiebreaker there due to a 23-21 loss at the Commanders in Week 7.

There's no question the Packers would have to win out to have any postseason shot. They are 5.5-point underdogs this Sunday in Miami, but should be favored -- if they upset the Dolphins -- in the final two games at home vs. Minnesota and Detroit.

"I mean, they're all good football teams," Rodgers said after Monday's win. "Miami's playing for the playoffs. Minnesota's obviously division winners and coming off a big win. Detroit's won, what, six out of seven; they're playing really well. So it's going to be three difficult games. Two of them are at home against dome teams. It'll be January for those two. We've notoriously been pretty good in those games over the years."

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