If you could only watch one NFL game on Christmas weekend, you should make all of your effort to catch this late afternoon game on FOX as the Green Bay Packers (10-4) and the Arizona Cardinals (12-2) at University of Phoenix Stadium. Kickoff for this event begins at 4:25 PM EST.
What's At Stake
The Green Bay Packers will be trying to defeat the Arizona Cardinals in a attempt to steal the final bye slot in the NFC. If Green Bay can beat Arizona then they will have the head-to-head tie breaker against the Cardinals. In order to get the bye week though, the Green Bay Packers will have to beat the Minnesota Vikings in week 17 and need the Seattle Seahawks to beat the Cardinals in week 17.
Also, the Packers will be trying to keep their one game lead against the Vikings in the NFC North. They could take the NFC North title again this year if they defeat the Cardinals and if the Vikings lose on Sunday Night Football against the New York Giants.
However, the Cardinals could still have an outside chance at home field advantage if they win out and the Carolina Panthers lose against the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the final two weeks.
Packers Injury Report
When facing a strong passing offense, it is best to have all of your defensive backs available, but that is unlikely for the the Packers on Sunday. Right now Sam Shields is the man who would miss, as the Packers veteran cornerback is expected to miss with a concussion as he has been listed as doubtful on the injury report. The other players that are listed below probable are tight end Justin Perillo (questionable), who was limited in practice on Thursday and did not practice on Friday, defensive tackle Letroy Guion (questionable), who did not practice on Thursday and was limited on Friday with a foot injury, and offensive tackle David Bakhtiari (questionable), who did not practice at all this past week with an ankle injury.
Of those three expect Bakhtiari to be the one missed the most if he is unable to play as they would have to put backup swing tackle Don Barclay on the left side of the line to protect Aaron Rodgers' blind side. Barclay is a good tackle, but there is a reason he is the backup, and the Packers would rather have Bakhtiari back there in order to protect against pass rushers like Dwight Freeney.
Cardinals Injury Report
Everyone already knows that the potential Pro Bowl safety in Tyrann Mathieu is going to miss this game and the remainder of the season as he tore his ACL against the Philadelphia Eagles in week 15. Defensive Tackle Josh Mauro is going to be out this week with a calf injury. That's a tough one as the Packers have two of the best offensive guards in the NFL with Josh Sitton and TJ Lang. They also have two other defensive tackles listed as questionable in Cory Redding and Frostee Rucker as they both have ankle injuries. Running back Andre Ellington and safety Rashad Johnson are both listed as questionable as well. The Cardinals would really prefer to have a much healthier defense to go up against this Packers offense as Rodgers seems to find a way to get the ball to someone even when there is not a lot of space.
Matchup To Watch
Green Bay Packers receiver Randall Cobb has been a target of opposing defenses this season as Jordy Nelson had torn his ACL before the season began. Expect the Cardinals defense to go ahead and place Patrick Peterson on him to shadow him across the field as Peterson is the best cornerback on the team and Cobb has struggled a bit this year when facing a tough opponent.
MVP Candidate
You simply can't do a preview of a Cardinals game this year and not at least mention how good Carson Palmer has been this year. Most people are at least mentioning him as an MVP candidate due to the fact that the Cardinals are 12-2 and he has been the key cog in the machine that is Bruce Arians' offense. Look at his numbers compared to last year's MVP in Aaron Rodgers for 2015:
| Player | Passing Yards | Comp % | TD | INT |
| Carson Palmer | 4,277 | 64.2 | 32 | 9 |
| Aaron Rodgers | 3,379 | 60.8 | 29 | 6 |
Palmer clearly holds the edge in passing yards. But he only has three more touchdowns and does have three more interceptions. Rodgers also has 313 rushing yards compared to just 24 for Palmer. Palmer is having a career year, but probably will end up finishing behind Cam Newton for MVP in 2015.
Prediction
When it comes down to it, this is going to be a close game that Packers fans and Cardinals fans are likely to remember as they could face each other again in the playoffs in Arizona again. Rodgers and Palmer can both put up points. But both defenses have been playing well too. If one team gets behind, it could be difficult for them to catch up if they were to make their offense one sided. But this writer simply feels like there is too much balance for the Cardinals to lose this one and they will continue their winning streak as they have won their last eight games and with this one will make it a nice nine. Palmer and the Cardinals will get the win by a final score of 34-30.
3:21 PM Update*****
Packers.com reports that Bakhtiari has been downgraded to doubtful, and Perillo and Shields have been downgraded to out for Sunday's contest