Green Bay Packers (-3.5) at Chicago Bears, Total 45.5 |
Green Bay will be facing Chicago for the third time in the past nine months, as the team clinched a playoff berth with a 10-3 win in the season finale in Lambeau Field, while also coming away with a 21-14 win in the NFC Championship Game inside Sunday’s venue.
“I look at this game as more of a kind of market,” commented Packers head coach Mike McCarthy. “It’s Week 3, and you have a chance to grow against a division opponent, against an archrival.”
Including last season’s victory over Chicago in the playoffs, Green Bay has won 14 of the last 19 games inside Soldier Field. The Packers are also off to their fourth 2-0 start in the past five seasons under McCarthy’s direction.
With last week’s 30-23 win over the Carolina Panthers as 10.5-point road favorites, the team improved to 6-0 in their first road game in the last six seasons. McCarthy is also a fantastic 7-2 in September road games.
The Packers will put their 21-9 regular-season record against NFC North opponents on the line Sunday, which is a remarkable mark that includes a 9-6 record when playing away from Lambeau Field.
The defense has struggled a bit in the early going, but has held opponents to just three touchdowns in 11 trips inside the red zone. Carolina made its way inside the 20-yard line six times last week, but managed to get into the end zone just twice.
Offensively, quarterback Aaron Rodgers continues to amaze, connecting on 180-of-262 passes for 2,347 yards and 19 touchdowns in his last eight games. It’s all led to an incredible 116.1 passer rating over that span.
sportsbook bettors will find that Packers betting are 25-13 ATS over the last two-plus campaigns, including an 18-11 ATS mark as a favorite.
Chicago has absolutely no balance in being handed a 30-13 loss to the New Orleans Saints as 4.5-point road underdogs, passing the ball 52 times and running it just 11. “We can’t win football games with that kind of balance,” commented Bears head coach Lovie Smith. “We have to get the balance a lot better and we will.”
Much of the media’s attention surrounding this game will be squarely on quarterback Jay Cutler, who was knocked out of last year’s championship game with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee.
A lot of attention was placed on protecting him this season during the preseason, but it has led to allowing 11 sacks, which is worst in the league. Chicago surrendered a league-worst 56 a year ago.
The football betting odds in this game has placed the Bears as home underdogs, as the team is 5-3 ATS in this situation when getting a field goal or less. Chicago is 17-18 ATS in the last two-plus seasons overall.
When deciding on your NFL betting picks this week, take into account that the Packers are 10-3 ATS in the last 13 meetings in Chicago and the ‘under’ is 7-0 in the last seven meetings overall.
