By Charles Jay
Anybody who is familiar with the situation surrounding the Green Bay Packers right now is aware that they are working with a quarterback who is not at 100% physical capacity. So they are going to have to get offense from places other than the air on Sunday, as they visit the hostile environs of CenturyLink Field for the NFC Championship game against the Seattle Seahawks. The Packers have some work to do to overcome the football betting odds as they take to the field at 3:05 PM ET.
Aaron Rodgers has a slight tear in his left calf, and while he was able to perform admirably in the 26-21 Divisional Round victory over the Dallas Cowboys, he couldn’t do everything he wanted to do from the standpoint of mobility. If he doesn’t want to be a sitting duck for the Seattle pass rush, he will have to have a diversion at his disposal. And that means some production from the Green Bay running backs, namely Eddie Lacy.
Both of these teams come into the game with 13-4 straight-up records. Seattle has been a solid 11-6 against the football pointspread, while Green Bay is at 8-8-1 ATS.
In the football betting odds that have been placed on this game by the folks at Vietbet, the Seahawks are the favorites by a full touchdown, and please note the prices attached:
Seattle Seahawks -7 (-120)
Green Bay Packers +7 (+100)
Over 46.5 points -110
Under 46.5 points -110
When these teams met in the season opener, Rodgers was held in check by the Seattle defense, and one of the reasons is that the Packers did not get a consistent running game going. Lacy had to leave the game in the fourth quarter with concussion symptoms, but he has come back to have a very credible season, rushing for 1139 yards on 4.6 yards per attempt. And he had 101 yards against Dallas last week, which helped Rodgers immeasurably, because as he was able to operate, the Cowboys’ defensive front could not tee off on Rodgers.
The unfortunate fact for Green Bay, as Vietbet customers know, is that Rodgers does not have the mobility to extend plays the way he is widely noted for, and he does not possess as much ability to throw on the run. So there will be quite a bit of pressure on Lacy, as well as backup tailback James Starks, for this team to beat the football betting odds.
And Seattle is a team that has demonstrated the ability to shut down opposition ground attacks. The Seahawks, who led the league in rushing, have yielded only 3.4 yards per carry, and that is a big reason they have forced opponents to punt on 49% of their possessions, since they are able to create favorable down-and-distance situations for themselves. This is also a team that has yielded a TOTAL of 56 points in its last seven games.
Vietbet patrons know that even if Rodgers is afforded time to throw, he will find it difficult to penetrate the standout Seattle secondary, which has Pro Bowl performers in cornerback Richard Sherman and safeties Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas. But during this seven-game Seahawk winning streak, they haven’t faced anyone with nearly as much resourcefulness behind center as Rodgers.
If he can only get a little help……
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