Last week might have felt better if the ball had bounced Green Bay's way during their surprising game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. While yes, the Panthers, Falcons and Seahawks — teams ahead of Green Bay in the Wild Card race — all won, the Lions didn't and the Vikings play Atlanta this week, which means there's a chance they could lose a game while the Packers pick one up by beating a struggling Tampa Bay team.

There's a lot going on and the season both feels like and is on the brink, but the Packers aren't dead yet.

They just need some help.

Vikings at Falcons

There's zero reason for the Vikings to move from Case Keenum to Teddy Bridgewater right now and who ever thought that would be a sentence someone typed as anything but a joke. 

But it's reality, and Keenum has been playing well. Because he is who he is, it always feels like the wheels are about to come off and he'll wake up and realize he's Case Keenum but that doesn't mean it will happen. On the other hand, Mike Zimmer isn't committing to Keenum past this week and if we've learned anything in the last few days it's that coaches like to shoot themselves in the foot and also are their own worst enemies (for an example, see McAdoo, Ben).

The Vikings defense will be key to this game more than anything else. Devonta Freeman has cleared concussion protocol, so the Vikings will be faced with the one-two punch of Freeman and Tevin Coleman as well as the monumental task of containing Julio Jones. In reality, Jones has been contained a lot this year — last week was only the third 100+ yard week this year and he scored just his second and third touchdowns on the season — and it remains to be seen if his 12 catch, 253 yard and two touchdown day is a return to normal or an abberration for the year.

Not that anyone expects 253 yards again, but you get my point. He looked dominant but does it continue.

If the defense spends too much time on their heels and the offense needs to play catchup, the Vikings could be in trouble. Atlanta's defense still struggles at times, especially on the ground. Football Outsiders has them as the No. 26, but that's mostly because they have them as the 32nd best run defense. The Falcons actually defende the pass relatively well and if Keenum has to throw from behind, the Vikings could have some issues.

This should be a good game to watch (assuming you don't happen to loathe one or both teams) and is likely to come down to the last few plays of the game. Home field might weigh in as well. In Minneapolis the Vikings would have a strong home crowd, but on the road, in Atlanta? I think that shifts things a little to the Falcons.

49ers at Bears

If you can avoid this game, do. It's not so much that it's the Bears as it is that these two teams are brutal right now. Although....getting to see Gentleman Jimmy Garropolo start a game for San Francisco could be worth the price of admission. The Bears are on a four game skid, while the Niners have only lost one in a row.

It's not really all that relevant. These are two rebuilding teams. Save your Pepto Bismol for a more important game — this will just make you nauseaus. 

Lions at Ravens

The Lions' loss to Minnesota on Thanksgiving, while expected, still probably felt like a gut punch for Lions fans. Now three games back from the division lead and on the outside looking in for a Wild Card spot, the Lions need almost as much help as the Packers do.

Matt Stafford is banged up, dealing with a right ankle issue he swears is fine. He missed on a lot of throws against Minnesota, ones he should have made and while the ankle factored in late, it was no excuse for earlier struggles. Marvin Jones and Golden Tate are playing well, so there is really no excuse for Stafford biffing throws. The Ravens defense will make him pay for that. Ranked first in FO's DVOA ratings, Baltimore is dangerous against the pass and can force three and outs.

If they do that, then the Lions defense will be gassed.

And that's a defense which struggled against Minnesota. Luckily for them, the Ravens offense isn't a potent as the Vikings' is which should tell you all you need to know about the Baltimore offense (although the Vikings offense has been shockingly potent in general this year). If the Lions can force Joe Flacco to make a lot of passes, it will play into their favor. Detroit struggles against the run, though, and Baltimore can move the rock on the ground.

This feels like a game Detroit should win, but Baltimore isn't the cream puff they were earlier in the year and certainly not as bad as the Bears or Browns were when the Lions beat them recently. They're better than the Packers too.

That will be trouble for the Lions.