NFL odds: Packers favored over Vikings in battle for NFC North title
The NFC North title is on the line on Sunday Night Football this weekend, as the Green Bay Packers return to Lambeau Field to battle the Minnesota Vikings.
Sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com consider both of these teams to be relative equals, as they’ve installed the Packers as three-point favorites at home.
Green Bay was absolutely shellacked in Arizona last week, and will look to rebound from that horrendous effort. Despite having won three straight games prior to last week, there are still major question marks surrounding the Packers as those three victories came against the lowly Raiders, Cowboys, and Lions.
• Vikings ranked No. 8, Packers No. 13 in latest NFL Power Rankings
With that being said, the Packers often rise to the occasion against divisional opponents. The Packers are 8–2 SU in their last 10 games against the NFC North.
While the Packers sputtered on the road last week, the Vikings took care of business for the second consecutive week. Minnesota dominated the Giants from start to finish, and have now won their last two games by a combined margin of 87–34.
The issue with Minnesota remains their ability to play with the league’s best teams. The Vikings have lost four of their five games against teams with a winning record, getting disposed of by the Broncos, Packers, Seahawks, and Cardinals.
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The Vikings have also been abysmal at Lambeau in recent years, going 0-5-1 SU and 1–5 ATS in their last six games on the road against the Packers, according to the OddsShark NFL Database.
There’s no denying that this year’s edition of the Packers is far worse than the teams of years past. Aaron Rodgers has simply not been himself, and the preseason injury to Jordy Nelson has proven to be extremely costly.
However, we simply can’t look past Minnesota’s track record against quality teams this season and its recent struggles against the Packers. Green Bay laying three points seems like an awfully cheap price at home, and we’ll gladly get behind the Pack in an important, nationally televised game.
