Green Bay continued its dominance over division foes last season, going 4-2 against the spread (ATS) to bring its four-year pointspread mark within the NFC North to 17-7, a trend that NFL betting devotees will be watching in 2010. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish with 2009 regular season records and pointspread results in parentheses:
GREEN BAY PACKERS (11-5 SU, 11-4-1 ATS, 8-8 O/U): The Packers have emerged as a solid betting play of late, notching an overall 39-26-1 pointspread record over the past four seasons. Green Bay has dominated several teams on this year's schedule, including Detroit, Chicago, Washington and San Francisco and also is a strong bet (12-3 ATS) after a week's rest, which comes at a good time (Nov. 14), before playing rival Minnesota. Future Book Odds Profile: Super Bowl 14/1; NFC Championship 7/1; NFC North 5/4; Make the Playoffs ½; Over/Under regular season wins 9 1/2.
By the Numbers (Regular Season, 1998-2009)
SU: 114-78
ATS: 99-87-6
HF:39-38-3
HD:8-7-1
AF:20-20-2
AD:32-22
Sportsbook Buster: The Packers are 33-33 as road underdogs the last dozen seasons.
Sports Betting Angle: Green Bay has covered the spread in seven of its last eight games versus Detroit.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS (12-4 SU, 9-6-1 ATS, 8-8 O/U): Clearly the return of indecisive Brett Favre would make the Vikings a better team both on the field and at the wagering windows. Stay tuned. Minnesota has a terrific betting history against New Orleans, Detroit, Dallas, Green Bay and Chicago but has lost five straight games ATS to the Jets and will be tested Dec. 26 at Philadelphia where Minnesota has lost six straight ATS and 10 of 11 overall. Future Book Odds Profile: Super Bowl 14/1; NFC Championship 7/1; NFC North 3/2; Make the Playoffs 4/5; Over/Under regular season wins 9 1/2.
By the Numbers (Regular Season, 1998-2009)
SU:109-83
ATS: 89-97-6
HF:41-36-2
HD:9-8
AF:16-24-2
AD:23-29-2
Sportsbook Buster: The Vikings are 16-24-2 as an away favorite the last 12 seasons.
Sports Betting Angle: Minnesota is 8-2 ATS its last 10 visits to Green Bay.
CHICAGO BEARS (7-9 SU, 6-10 ATS, 6-10 O/U): The Bears have the second best pointspread record in the division over the past 12 years and cagey bettors will find opportunities with this team. One might be against Minnesota where the home team has dominated the series. Chicago also has dropped four consecutive pointspread decisions to Green Bay. Future Book Odds Profile: Super Bowl 40/1; NFC Championship 20/1; NFC North 4/1; Make the Playoffs 9/5; Over/Under regular season wins 8.
By the Numbers (Regular Season, 1998-2009)
SU:92-100
ATS: 95-90-7
HF:25-27-2
HD:25-17
AF:10-7-2
AD:32-40-5
Sportsbook Buster: Since 1998, the Bears are a solid 25-17 as a home underdog.
Sports Betting Angle: Chicago has covered six off its last seven home games against Minnesota.
DETROIT LIONS (2-14 SU, 6-8-2 ATS, 8-8, O/U): At 2-30 SU, the Lions have been the worst team in football over the past two seasons and they haven't been much better against the spread. In fact, Detroit is 11-19-2 ATS since 2008. That said, there are betting opportunities, including being 6-1 as underdogs of more than six points the week after playing the Vikings. That will happen on Oct. 3 when Detroit visits Green Bay the week after a road trip to Minnesota. Future Book Odds Profile: Super Bowl 200/1; NFC Championship 100/1; NFC North 25/1; Make the Playoffs 6/1; Over/Under regular season wins 5.
By the Numbers (Regular Season, 1998-2009)
SU:55-137
ATS: 89-99-6
HF:13-20-2
HD:32-28-1
AF:0-7
AD:40-46-3
Sportsbook Buster: The Lions are just 13-20-2 in thee role of a home favorite, since 1998.
Sports Betting Angle: Detroit has covered seven of its last nine visits to TampaBay, which it plays on the road, Dec. 19.
Legend:
SU= Straight Up
ATS = Against the Spread
HF= Home Favorite
HD= Home Underdog
AF= Away Favorite
AD= Away Underdog
O/U = Over/Under
This is the sixth of an eight-part NFL preview series.
Next: Betting the NFC South
This article was written by Luken Karel for http://www.thegreek.com. The Greek Sportsbook & Casino is host to one of the top online sportsbooks offering college football betting and sports betting on NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and all other major sports. The Greek is a must have sports betting and entertainment portal with one of the largest wagering menus available online. Article reproductions must include a link pointing to http://www.thegreek.com
