APC Week 14 NFL Picks: Packers-Falcons is just a shrug emoji

Vegas likes the Green Bay Packers to win this week. The Green and Gold host the Atlanta Falcons in the first game since Mark Murphy fired head coach Mike McCarthy. Offensive coordinator Joe Philbin is now in charge for the final four weeks of the season, and if you know what kind of team the Packers will field on Sunday, please tell us.

Despite a five-point spread in Green Bay’s favor, we at Acme Packing Company don’t know what to expect from the Packers this week. Maybe McCarthy’s firing will turn out to be the galvanizing moment that Aaron Rodgers has been searching for. Could it stir up some emotion and urgency among the players and lead to a victory?

Alternately, fans may just as easily be treated to more of the same from the Packers. Will the offense continue to hit on a handful of big plays while failing to convert on third downs? Will the defense keep giving up big plays of their own as they try to force opponents into difficult down-and-distance situations? The Falcons certainly have a talented receiving corps that could make it a long afternoon for the Packers’ banged-up secondary, so Mike Pettine will have his work cut out for him.

In this week’s picks, we see APC’s writers pretty split on the result of the game. We still favor the Packers by a 8-5 margin, but the fact that there are that many votes for the Falcons shows a lingering doubt over this team after it lost to the hapless Cardinals last Sunday.

Here are our picks for week 14.