Football Playoff Betting – Ten Good Reasons to Go With the Packers

As we prepare for the NFC title game, we thought it might be useful to give you ten good reason to go with the Green Bay Packers over the Chicago Bears when the two clash at Soldier Field, especially as Green Bay is a 3.5-point favorite in the football playoff betting odds (with a total of 43 points).

NFC Championship

Green Bay Packers (12-6 SU, 11-7 ATS) at Chicago Bears (12-5 SU, 10-6-1 ATS)

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Live at Soldier Field

Chicago, IL

Sunday, January 23 — 3 PM ET

TV: FOX

Football Playoff Betting Odds

Green Bay -3.5

Chicago +3.5

Total 43

Here are the ten reasons, for football playoff betting purposes:

(1) In Green Bay, there is now a rushing game to be dealt with. James Starks has come into the lineup with some power running, and although he hasn’t had a lot of action this season, he has been more than serviceable during the playoffs, with 189 yards. The strength of having someone like Starks is that he offers the THREAT of a running game, which is something the Bears have to defend against, and something you have to think about in your football playoff betting decision.

(2) The Packer defense has defended Jay Cutler pretty well this season, holding him to QB ratings of 82.5 and 43.5 in the two meetings, and picking him off three times. They have also sacked him nine times, and six of them took place in the last game of the season.

(3) If you had to pick one of the these two passers to make the difference-making play, you would have to go with Aaron Rodgers, who has completed 78% of his passes in the two playoff wins. And to think the big question on him from football playoff bettors was whether he could win a post-season game.

(4) Green Bay has such variety in its receiving options. between James Jones, Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Andrew Quarless and the guys out of the backfield, they have more than enough to stretch Chicago out.

(5) In a matchup where the defenses generally have an advantage, it helps that the Packers have a secondary that is among the best and most experienced in football, and it will limit what Jay Cutler can do in Chicago’s vertical offense.

(6) If it’s cold and windy on Sunday, that should actually play to Green Bay’s advantage, because the game plan requires Rodgers to complete shorter passes than Cutler. Consider those things in football playoff betting.

(7) You could argue that Green Bay was by far the better team in both of the matchups this season, despite the games being close. Devin Hester had a kick return TD and the Packers committed 18 penalties to help enable Chicago to win 20-17 when these teams met in Solder Field.

(8) The Green Bay defensive unit is harder to score on, and that could mean something in the context of football playoff betting. The Packers allowed one point for every 20.6 yards its opponents gained this year, and that is a figure that is better than that of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Chicago is no slouch, but its yards-per-point figure is 17.6.

(9) Green Bay has gone into hostile environs on a couple of occasions in the post-season, and has played like the home team. Going to Soldier Field shouldn’t faze them in the least. And for a team that plays and practices in cold weather all the time, they won’t feel the slightest bit uncomfortable.

(10) The Green Bay coaching staff has to enjoy an edge, because it is actually astounding how many players the Packers have lost this season, and the way Mike McCarthy, Dom Capers and company have adapted to it has been something of a textbook on improvisation. That’s a very important factor in football playoff betting. Can you imagine what they would be like if they were completely healthy?

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