Packers, Pats Clash At Lambeau
Aaron Rodgers and the Packers face a rare visit from the New England Patriots on Sunday.
Two of the National Football League’s form teams meet Sunday as the Green Bay Packers host the New England Patriots in an inter-conference battle.
Kickoff at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET.
With both teams currently leading their respective divisions, this rare showdown between two of the league’s marquee sides could turn out to be a Super Bowl preview, making it one of Sunday’s unmissable games.
The Story So Far
Winners of three straight, Green Bay (8-3, 5-0 home) has climbed to the top of the NFC North standings but, with the Detroit Lions winning handily against the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving, that lead is currently a precarious one.
A loss to the Patriots on Sunday would see the Packers fall behind the Lions once more, thanks to the latter owning a head-to-head tiebreaker advantage.
The Packers have been unstoppable at home though this season. Aaron Rodgers and Co. have averaged 43.8 points per game at Lambeau Field and outscored opponents by an average of 26.8 points per outing. The only team to finish a game at Lambeau Field within one score of the Packers was the New York Jets way back in Week 2.
The Packers’ dominance at home has admittedly coincided with a weak schedule. Right now, teams that have visited the historic football town are a combined 23-33-1. Remove the Philadelphia Eagles from the equation and Green Bay’s four opponents have combined for a 14-30-1 record. The Patriots obviously represent a very different threat.
New England (9-2, 3-2 road) enters Sunday’s high-profile game having won seven straight and nine of the last 10. This run of good form includes quality wins over the Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals.
A week ago, Bill Belichick’s side earned a victory over the Lions, a team that has defeated the Packers this season. Could that be an omen of what’s to come?
The Patriots are sitting comfortable at the top of the AFC East but don’t expect the team to take its foot off the gas. A No. 1 berth come playoff time could be vital, especially considering the Patriots are unbeaten at home this season. That means beating the Broncos and Colts to the AFC’s best record, which in turn means winning now.
Make no bones about it – this is a big game for Green Bay and New England.
Head-to-Head
The Packers and Patriots have met 10 times in history, including Super Bowl XXXI. Each side has won five of those meetings.
New England has gone 1-2 in three trips to Lambeau Field. The Patriots’ most recent trip came in November 2006, a game they won 35-0.
New England has won two straight in the head-to-head series, including a 31-27 victory the last time the two sides met.
Sunday’s matchup marks the first time that Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady will take to the field opposite each other, as starters at least. Rodgers replaced an injured Brett Favre in 2006’s blowout but missed 2010’s matchup.
Injury Report
As tends to be the case with the New England Patriots, a slew of players have been listed as questionable for Sunday’s game. These include defensive end Chandler Jones (hip) and left guard Marcus Cannon (hip).
Green Bay guard Josh Sitton (toe) is among the Packer players listed as questionable, as is linebacker Nick Perry (shoulder).
Check out the full injury list
Tom Brady will start a game opposite Aaron Rodgers for the first time.
Betting Report
Below you’ll find Betting Sports’ breakdown of odds and betting trends.
New England Patriots vs. Green Bay Packers odds for 11/30/2014
Moneyline: Green Bay (-169) opened as the favorite over New England (+152) on the moneyline but the Packers’ advantage has slipped slightly as game time approaches.
Green Bay is 2-0 against opponents from the AFC East this season, while New England is 3-0 when playing NFC North opposition.
The Packers enter the game having won five straight home games. New England has won its last two on the road.
Spread: The spread opened at 4 but has dropped to 3 in the meantime.
New England (7-4-0 ATS) has fared ever so slightly better than Green Bay (6-4-1 ATS) against the spread this season. If you’re looking for anything to separate the two sides on this line, you could be looking for a long time.
Green Bay is 4-0-1 ATS at home while New England is 3-2-0 ATS on the road. The Packers are 6-1-1 ATS when playing as the favorite while New England is 4-0-0 ATS as an underdog.
Green Bay has covered the spread in three of the last four head-to-head meetings.
Total: The total opened at 58 and has fluctuated in either direction depending which sportsbook you look at.
Both Green Bay (9-2-0 O/U) and New England (8-3-0 O/U) have heavily favored the over this season but bettors might want to be cautious ahead of this one.
Last weekend, the under paid out for both teams, ending a seven-game run of the total going over for both sides.
The total has gone under in four of the last six head-to-head meetings between the sides.
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