Monday Night Football features a clash of NFC North rivals as the Detroit Lions (0-1) square off with the Green Bay Packers (0-1). The Packers will host this one at Lambeau Field, with kickoff scheduled for 8:15 pm ET.
Coming into Week 2, the NFC North is still looking for its first win as all four teams lost their opening week matchups. For the Lions, it was a 41-33 loss at home against the San Francisco 49ers.
Green Bay had a tough matchup as they went on the road in Week 1 to face the New Orleans Saints. For 48 minutes, the Packers never seemed in sync as they were demolished 38-3.
Despite the Packers’ rough game last week, they are still the heavy favorite on Monday. They are -650 to win while the Lions’ moneyline sits at +480. The spread features Detroit +12.5 (-115), and the over/under for total points is 48.5.
More Odds
Currently, the Packers are tied for the second-best odds of winning the NFC Championship this season at +650. They also have the sixth-best odds of winning Super Bowl LVI at +1400.
Detroit has the worst odds of both winning the NFC Championship (+10000) and winning the Super Bowl (+42000).
By The Numbers
While Detroit has struggled against the Packers recently, they are 7-1 against the spread in their last eight games against Green Bay. In fact, against the NFC as a whole, they are 4-1 against the spread in their last five.
Green Bay has dominated Detroit in recent years, especially when playing at home. In their last 20 games at home against Detroit, they are 17-3. Really, they are tough at home against any competition as they are 14-2 at Lambeau Field in their last 16 home games.
Goff Looks For First Lions’ Win
After being acquired in the offseason from the Los Angeles Rams in a deal that saw Matthew Stafford go to L.A., quarterback Jared Goff is looking for his first win in a Lions’ uniform.
Last week, Goff threw for 338 yards, three touchdowns, and just one interception. The problem is that most of this production came late when the Lions were scrambling to get back into it.
Detroit was down 31-10 at halftime, but they were still able to force the issue and cover the spread late in the game.
Keep an eye on running backs D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams in this one. Last week, Swift rushed for just 39 yards on 11 carries, but he also had eight receptions out of the backfield for 65 yards and a touchdown.
Williams, who was previously with the Packers, had 54 yards rushing and a touchdown while also gathering eight receptions for 56 yards.
Packers Try To Regroup After Massive Blowout
In his illustrious career, quarterback Aaron Rodgers has never had a loss as large as the one last week in his career. Given the tumultuous nature of the offseason, one where Rodgers expressed his desire to get out of Green Bay, it is hard not to see lots of red flags.
Not only was Green Bay bad overall, but Rodgers was atrocious in the opener. He went 15 for 28 passing for just 133 yards and two interceptions. Granted, as the reigning NFL MVP, he will perform better, but it is hard not to agree with head coach Matt LaFleur when saying their play last week was “embarrassing.”
On the ground, the Packers managed just 45 total yards. Lead back Aaron Jones rushed five times for just nine yards while AJ Dillon led all rushers with 19 yards on four carries.
Through the air, it was Davante Adams leading the way. He had five receptions for 56 yards.
Green Bay Bounces Back, But Can They Cover
While Week 1 was certainly a clunker for the Packers, they at least have the benefit of getting a really subpar Detroit Lions team in Week 2. Still, there has to be concern in Green Bay that Rodgers’ desire to get out could impact his play on the field.
Expect Rodgers and the offense to bounce back in this one, but it would not be shocking to see Detroit still cover the 12.5-point spread. After all, while Green Bay’s offense struggled, their defense also was bad, with it giving up 38 points.
Take Detroit to cover the 12.5-point spread.
