In Vegas, Packers Lead Four-Team Race in NFC
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers, now in the driver’s seat to earn the No. 1 seed and homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, have the shortest odds to win the conference title.
In the latest odds from Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas, the Packers are 11/5 to advance through the NFC playoffs. In a tight race, the New Orleans Saints are 11/4 and the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams are 9/2.
“It seems like a four-horse race right now,” said Ed Salmons, SuperBook’s vice president of risk management and oddsmaking. “Obviously, the NFC West winner vs. a wild card team would have an advantage. The bye team will have a big advantage of skipping a game and having homefield.”
By virtue of Green Bay’s victory over Detroit and New Orleans’ loss to Philadelphia, the Packers are in control of the lone bye. That puts Aaron Rodgers in a strong position to return to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2010.
“To have the whole thing come through Green Bay is something that we’ve talked about for a long time and we’ve wanted and we’ve never had,” Rodgers said after beating Detroit.
However, there’s little margin for error with a finishing stretch of games against Carolina (5-8), Tennessee (9-4) and Chicago (6-7). While Green Bay has the two-team tiebreaker over the Saints, a three-team tiebreaker between the Saints (10-3), Packers (10-3) and Rams (9-4) could go another direction, depending on who beats who in the final three weeks.
With no fans in the stands, homefield might not mean what it usually does, but the Green Bay cold would have to be considered an advantage over the Saints, Rams and Buccaneers.
“Among the four teams [with the shortest odds], I could see any of them getting to the Super Bowl,” Salmons said. “In the end, I would throw out the Seahawks because I don’t trust their defense. The Packers, Saints and Rams are all deserving teams. I do believe whatever team does get the homefield will advance to the Super Bowl. It’s a really tough call.”
The Kansas City Chiefs were installed as their year’s favorites the moment last year’s Super Bowl ended and they remain the favorites today. The Chiefs are 9/5, followed by the Packers and Saints at 7/1. The Seahawks, Rams, Buffalo Bills and slumping Pittsburgh Steelers are next at 10/1. (The full top 10 is in the accompanying video.)
At PointsBet, the Packers are 5/2 to win the NFC while New Orleans is 11/4. In the Super Bowl race, the Chiefs are 19/10 while the Packers and Saints are 7/1.
“It’s something we’ve struggled with all season long,” PointsBet’s Andrew Mannino said. “Fans, obviously, make a huge difference. Even without fans, there’s still something to be said for sleeping in your own bed and not having to travel. So, maybe homefield advantage isn’t quite the traditional three points it has been in the past but it’s still something and it still impacts players.”
