Packers Win-Total Prediction
Can the Green Bay Packers remain the best team in the NFC North and make a run to double-digit wins this season?
According to the oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Packers are currently listed with 9/1 odds to win Super Bowl LII. Their odds to win the NFC Championship are set at 9/2, while their over/under for wins is listed at 10. The over carries a line of -165, while the under is listed at +135.
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The Packers are coming off a 10-6 record in the 2016 season in which they won the NFC North for the fifth time in six seasons. They reached the NFC Championship before losing to the Falcons, 44-21. Green Bay has won double-digit games in seven of the last eight seasons as well. Mike McCarthy steps into his 12th season as head coach of the Packers. He is 114-61-1 in his time leading the franchise.
Green Bay seems like it will always be a contender as long as Aaron Rodgers is around. The veteran QB had another tremendous season last year, throwing for 4,428 yards with 40 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. After not having Jordy Nelson in the 2015 season, he returned in 2016 and caught 97 passes for 1,257 yards and 14 touchdowns. The team added another big passing option in free agency, signing tight end Martellus Bennett from the Patriots. Green Bay parted ways with Eddie Lacy in the offseason, but part of that was due to seeing Ty Montgomery emerge as a capable running back late in 2016. Montgomery finished the season with 457 yards and three touchdowns while also catching 44 passes for 348 yards.
On defense, Green Bay ranked 22nd in total defense. The Packers allowed 24.3 points per game last season. The team lost some key defensive players as safety Micah Hyde and pass rusher Julius Peppers both signed elsewhere. The team addressed defense in the draft by using their first four picks on defense. Cornerback Kevin King and safety Josh Jones were their first two picks in the second round. Nick Perry had 11 sacks to lead the defense a year ago and is back to lead them again in 2017.
The Packers don’t start the season easily, hosting Seattle and Cincinnati while heading to Atlanta. Green Bay will also travel to Dallas and Pittsburgh this season while also hosting the likes of Baltimore and New Orleans. The Packers have been the class of the NFC North and shouldn’t have too much trouble winning those games, but their out-of-division schedule is extremely challenging. Eventually, bad luck is set to hit this franchise. Projecting them to win 11 games seems like a lot to ask with so many tough games.
NFL WIN-TOTAL PREDICTION: GREEN BAY PACKERS UNDER 10 (+135)