Here Are Packers Point Spreads for Week 18 at Vikings, Playoff Games

The Green Bay Packers, not surprisingly, are big underdogs for Sunday’s game at the Minnesota Vikings. What about the two potential wildcard matchups?

Green Bay Packers Clayton Tune (6) throws a pass against the Baltimore Ravens. He will start against the Vikings. | Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – As you might expect with Clayton Tune going from the practice squad to starting at quarterback, the Green Bay Packers are large underdogs for Sunday’s Week 18 game against the Minnesota Vikings.

The Packers are 7.5-point underdogs at FanDuel and other sportsbooks. The Packers have only been bigger underdogs twice during the Matt LaFleur era. They were 10.5-point underdogs for a 27-17 loss at Buffalo in 2022 and eight-point underdogs for a 29-22 win at Detroit in 2023.

Straight up, LaFleur is 5-3 as an underdog of four-plus points.

At FanDuel as of midday Thursday, 70 percent of the money is on Minnesota but 67 percent of the bets are on Green Bay.

Sunday’s game is completely irrelevant for the Packers. They are locked into the No. 7 seed in the NFC, regardless of whether they beat the Vikings by 10 or lose by 50. Either way, they will begin the playoffs at the No. 2 seed, which will be either the NFC North-winning Chicago Bears or the NFC East-winning Philadelphia Eagles.

Packers Playoff Point Spreads

The Packers are 1.5-point favorites against the Bears at FanDuel but three-point underdogs against the Eagles.

Green Bay, of course, has played both teams.

It split against Chicago, two games that could have gone either direction. First, the Packers survived at Lambeau Field on Keisean Nixon’s end-zone interception in the final seconds. Thirteen days later at Soldier Field, with Jordan Love suffering a concussion, the Packers were in position to win, anyway, but gave away the game when the special teams botched an onside kick and the defense imploded.

Green Bay lost 10-7 at home against Philadelphia. The Packers gained only 261 yards, averaged just 4.0 yards per play and fumbled away the ball twice. In the first half, its five possessions ended in a punt, punt, punt, punt and fumble. Late in the game, Josh Jacobs was stuffed on fourth-and-1 when the Eagles knew what play was coming.

“I think the good thing about the postseason playoffs is you get a new start,” safety Xavier McKinney said. “You zero and zero. Obviously, you put your body of work in throughout the season, and we’ve put our body of work in, whether that’s, whatever it may look like to the outsiders looking in, or even to us like we put our body of work in, it is what it is.

“We can’t really go back and change anything, but we can re-establish what we want to be as a defense and as a team. So, I think the playoffs gives us another chance to be able to do that.”

Low-Scoring Potential vs. Vikings

Back to Sunday’s game, the over/under is 35.5 for a matchup featuring the Vikings’ powerful defense, which is led by blitz-happy coordinator Brian Flores, against the Packers’ No. 3 quarterback, who will be surrounded by a bunch of backups.

“I think it all starts with a plan,” LaFleur said. “You better be well prepared for what we’re about to see. Because if you’re not, it can be embarrassing in terms of how aggressive they are. And what a great job they do of just knowing how to attack you. So, I think Flores is one of the best in the business, and he is so good at what he does. He’s certainly taken that defense to another level.”

While Tune will start at quarterback for Green Bay, the Vikings will either get J.J. McCarthy back in the lineup or go with Max Brosmer.

The Packers started the week as +1700 to win the Super Bowl, tied with the Bears for the 10th-shortest odds. Now, despite the addition of former All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs, the Packers fell to +1800. Of the teams that have clinched a playoff berth, only the Chargers have longer odds at +2200.

The end-zone interception by Nixon to beat the Bears is the team’s only interception by a cornerback this season. Maybe Diggs can add to that total and give the Packers a Super Bowl jolt.

“Well, I think he’s a guy that certainly has a ton of experience and has played at a really high level,” LaFleur said. “I have not studied him outside of the game that we played against him going into the season, and I know he’s been kind of in and out of the lineup a little bit, but a guy that has incredible talent. He’s got a great ability to take the ball away and do something with it. So, we’re excited to get him in here.”

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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