If you would have bet the Green Bay Packers under 10 wins last season, you would forever curse Aaron Rodgers. Green Bay started the season 4-6 and the playoffs looked out of the picture with Detroit pulling out miracle win after miracle win. Rodgers showed why you can never count him out though with six straight wins to end the regular season followed by playoff victories against the Giants and the Cowboys. Although the season ended with a loss in the NFC Championship Game, it’s hard not to consider it a success after how the season started. Green Bay is the favorite to win the NFC North once again in 2017, but Rodgers needs help if this team is going to go further.
Green Bay Packers Futures Odds at BookMaker.eu
Packers Over 10 Wins -110
Packers Under 10 Wins -110
2017 Packers Offense Preview
Will Green Bay actually be able to run the ball with any kind of effectiveness this season? The Packers used converted wide receiver Ty Montgomery as their primary running back after Eddie Lacy got hurt last year and that worked just as well as you’d expect.
The Packers drafted Jamaal Williams to try to give the running game a boost and he has been pushing Montgomery in training camp. It looks like he will at least split time with Montgomery and will likely take on a bigger role as the season goes along. Williams is a big strong running back in the mold of Lacy, but doesn’t have the weight or injury issues.
As long as Rodgers is healthy, the passing game will be one of the best in the NFL. Rodgers can make it work no matter who the receivers are and that makes this offense hard to stop. He has a new weapon to work with in tight end Martellus Bennett and that will make him even more effective.
2017 Packers Defense Preview
Julio Jones is still running past this secondary. Green Bay has a solid set of safeties in Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Morgan Burnett, but the cornerback play leaves something to be desired. Damarious Randall has not proved to be worthy of a first-round selection during his time in the league and has been rated as one of the worst starting corners in the NFL. There is a lot of pressure on rookie Kevin King to be an instant contributor.
The defensive line needs to show some improvement too. There aren’t any big names on this unit and five of the eight members of the rotation have been in the league for two seasons or less. If defensive tackle Kenny Clark keeps getting better in his second season, that would go a long way to help this unit.
2017 Green Bay Packers Schedule Analysis
The Packers have to play a first-place schedule in conference and are matched up against the AFC North and the NFC South in cross-divisional play. Green Bay’s secondary is going to have to perform against the high-octane offenses of the NFC South or Rodgers will have to light up the scoreboard to win those games.
Divisional play should be much easier for Green Bay this season. Chicago is a total mess and Detroit is primed for regression after completely outperforming its advanced metrics in 2016. Minnesota is the only team that can really challenge the Packers for the division, but Sam Bradford has to prove he can lead a team to a winning record.
The Final Verdict
Since 2009, the Packers have made the playoffs every season and won at least 10 games in all but one of those years. Barring an injury to Rodgers, it’s hard to imagine this team falling short of that mark this year. It’s hard to imagine the secondary or the running game being much worse and any sort of improvement will only help this team.
NFL Odds: Green Bay Packers Over 10 Wins (-110)
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