Candidly, this is a tough call. While the 49ers are hampered by injuries and absences, I actually like the way they play with Nick Mullens. Underdogs are also on a 6-0 ATS streak on Thursday nights. Then you have the Packers, who have not been overly impressive recently but come into this game healthy and seemingly loaded. Green Bay is also on a 9-0 ATS streak following losses. Something's gotta give. This spread is probably two points too high, which is sometimes the price you pay for Aaron Rodgers. The talent disparity on offense is just too great for me. JaMycal Hasty is talented, but he's no Dalvin Cook; it was Cook's exceptional talent that gashed GB's run defense last week. Even if it takes until the fourth quarter, I'm going to roll with the Packers.

JaMycal Hasty was shaky last week versus the Seahawks, but he was solid in the two games before that and should have success against Green Bay's leaky run defense. This line has swelled to the point where there's value on the home dog. Take San Francisco to keep it respectable.

The injury report and COVID list are very long in this game, for both teams. The situation looks even worse for San Francisco, which will enter without its starting QB, LT, TE and both WRs. That's a lot of missing offense to overcome. While Green Bay is dealing with a very thin backfield, it still has QB Aaron Rodgers and a defense solid enough to cover this spread easily.

Both these teams are coming off divisional losses, but even though the 49ers are the ones dealing with key injuries, I'm more concerned about the Packers, who couldn't stop a run game for the second time in three weeks even though they had to know it was coming against the Vikings. That's not going to cut it against Kyle Shanahan, who should be able to expose the Packers on the ground consistently. And based on what we saw on Sunday, we'd be better having Nick Mullens in the game anyway. The 49ers defense did a great job on Seattle for about a half of football, and I think this Packers offense is a step back. Plus, the 49ers need this win more.

Jump(!!!) on this spread at William Hill before the site changes it -- and it will rise with Jimmy Garoppolo and George Kittle joining the 49ers' M*A*S*H unit. Seriously, it might be easier to simply list who will be playing instead of who won't for that decimated club. The Packers looked awful at home Sunday, but Aaron Rodgers doesn't play back-to-back terrible games (GB is 11-0 ATS in its past 11 following an ATS loss), and it's always personal to him playing at the Niners after his "hometown" team passed on him at the top of the 2005 draft in favor of Alex Smith. A-Rod and the Pack will get payback for two lopsided losses at Levi's Stadium last season.

The injury toll finally might have reached a tipping point for the 49ers. QB Jimmy Garoppolo and TE George Kittle, cornerstones of the offense, are out for awhile, and RB Tevin Coleman is iffy. This season, the 49ers’ injured reserve roster has included their three primary QBs, plus eight RBs, WRs and TEs who have contributed. The defense has not been unscathed, which sets up QB Aaron Rodgers for a comeback from his blah performance on Sunday. Complicating matters, the Niners face a short week to ready themselves for the relatively healthy Packers.