For the Green Bay Packers, all that stands in the way of a return by Aaron Rodgers, is a win over the (0-12) Cleveland Browns. 

Obviously, if the Packers had Aaron Rodgers playing quarterback, they would be heavy favorites to win. Instead, with Brett Hundley, Green Bay is a 3.5-point favorite.

The Packers should still have enough to beat the Browns, but with a young quarterback, every win, especially on the road, is going to be hard to come by. 

Green Bay’s motivations in this game are obvious. Win or kiss any hopes you have of making the playoffs goodbye. The Packers are already a long shot, even with a  possible Rodgers return next week. 

But before Green Bay can start thinking about his injured shoulder and whether it can stand up against the Panthers, it needs to win in Cleveland. Otherwise, that entire discussion becomes a moot point.

So with that in mind, here are a few reasons the Packers will beat the Browns, along with a reason or two why they might not.

Why Green Bay will win:

If the Packers are going to beat Cleveland, they will need to continue to be successful on the ground. Jamaal Williams has had a couple of really good weeks and last week against the Bucs, both he and Aaron Jones found the end zone with rushing touchdowns.

Running Rookies

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— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 9, 2017

Of course, the score by Jones in overtime gave the Packers the win. That run also showed that the UTEP rookie is ready to make an impact again. Last week was his first game back since an MCL injury and although he didn’t touch the ball often, his overtime-touchdown run was the biggest play of the game.

Altogether, the Packers are 16th in the NFL in rushing, but also rank fourth in touchdown runs and fifth in yards per rush at 4.5 a carry. Green Bay has run the ball effectively, especially in recent weeks and despite the fact that the Browns are sixth in rushing yards allowed, it needs to pound the rock if it wants a seventh win. 

If Cleveland can stymie the ground game, it will place more pressure on Hundley, who has just two wins as a starter. Yet, if the Packers can run the ball and if they can use Hundley in the zone read, it should open up some things in the passing game with Davante Adams, Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson too.

Another big key is going to be turnovers.

Against the Ravens a few weeks ago, the Packers had five turnovers. Since then, Green Bay has just one, an interception thrown last week by Hundley. The defense forced three turnovers against the Steelers and one last week against the Bucs, which was returned for a touchdown by Dean Lowry.

Time for the final stretch.

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— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 9, 2017

If the Packers can win the turnover battle or at least be even, that bodes well. And if Green Bay run establish the run, whether it's with Williams or Jones, or both, its chances of winning, will be even greater. 

And if the defense can force some turnovers, which should be doable against a Browns team averaging 2.5 giveaways per game, then the Packers should be able to escape the Dawg Pound with a win. 

Why the Browns might win:

One reason of course, is the sixth-ranked run defense. If Cleveland can limit what the Packers can do on the ground and put moving the ball almost entirely on Hundley throwing it, then the Browns have a shot at getting their first win.

#Packers keeping the focus where it should be.

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— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 9, 2017

Last week, on the road, Cleveland gave the Chargers all they could handle before eventually losing 19-10. But that game showed that the Browns still have plenty of fight and at home, against a Packers team without Aaron Rodgers, Cleveland will be plenty motivated.

The Browns are also running out of chances to win. Two of their last three games are against Pittsburgh and Baltimore, so that will only add to the sense urgency.

The Browns do play the Bears in Chicago in two weeks, which seems like another winnable game. However, if Cleveland wants to find the winner’s circle, beating the Hundley-led Packers could be its last, best chance.

There’s a reason why the experts have the Packers as just a field goal favorite. This game is probably going to be close. It’s likely going to be a defensive struggle and will come down to which team runs the ball better and which quarterback does a better job of limiting turnovers.

That team should be Hundley and the Packers, who can get to 7-6 with a win. Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL, not even beating the lowly Browns.

But if the Packers can run the football, force 2-3 turnovers and limit their own mistakes, they should find a way to win and make next week’s game meaningful enough to give Rodgers a reason to comeback.