NFC North Opening Day: Will Packers Pull Off Upset?

The NFC North has three intriguing games set for opening weekend of the NFL regualr season. The most interesting is the game between the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers. The two teams met in the season opener a year ago with the 49ers beating favored Packers at Green Bay. The win set them off on a course that led them all the way to the Super Bowl. Along the way, they downed the Packers in San Francisco in the divisional round, ending the Packers season the way it started, looking up at the short end of a score against the gold and red.

So will the Pack get a bit of revenge today? Don’t bet against it. It’s tough to beat a team three straight times, especially one as good as Green Bay. The Pack has had a long time to think about the last time they left the field. And as luck would have it, they get to go back to that same field today. That’s almost like getting a do-over. A loss today could do some big damage to the Packers psyche. This is a big game for the Packers, maybe even more so than for the Niners.

Oddsmaker has the odds on the NFC North games:

Green Bay at San Francisco– The Packers are +4.5 -110 and the 49ers are -4.5 -110 ATS. Moneyline is Green Bay +180 and the 49ers -220. Over/Under is 49.5 with both -110. We like the Packers to win this one outright. So take Green Bay +180 and the over -110.

Cincinnati at Chicago-  the Bengals are +3 -120 and the Bears are -3 EVEN ATS. Moneyline is Cincinnati +130 and the Bears -150. Over/Under is 42 with both -110. We like the Bears in this one to cover. they looked awfully good when the first stringers played in the preseason. Look for Matt Forte to have a big game today. Take the Bears -3 and the over -110.

Minnesota at Detroit– For some reason, people really like the Lions in this game. Did they not watch Adrian Peterson rush for 2000 yards last year? Did they not watch the Lions go 4-12? Apparently not. Well, we did. The Vikings are +4 -110 and the Lions are -4 -110 ATS. Moneyline is the Vikes +175 and the Lions -201. Over/Under is 47 with both -110. Take the Vikings +175 and the over -110. Peterson will run for a buck and a half.

While on Oddsmaker, check out the props on these games. You can place bets on which team scores first, or whether or not there will be a special teams touchdown, or what will be the longest touchdown of the game. On the Vikings Lions game, the over/under on the longest score is 45 yards. With Peterson in there, the over might be the way to go on that one.