NFL Divisional Playoff Betting – Green Bay Packers vs. Atlanta Falcons

Make no bones about this NFL Divisional Playoff betting bonanza. The Packers visiting the NFC leading Falcons is the toughest bet of the weekend. While Atlanta may be insulted that their team is only a slim favorite regardless of a huge advantage at home, the Green Bay Packers looked extremely convincing in a win over Philadelphia.

The only thing that can stop Green Bay is head coach Mike McCarthy.

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The Packers have an incredible talent in Aaron Rodgers, who is a do-it-all quarterback. He can make all the throws, run for first downs and stays alive in the pocket with extreme vigor. What will hamper Green Bay is if they get conservative against Atlanta.

That’s exactly what happened against Philadelphia. By all accounts, the decision to take the foot of the offensive pedal is confounding. To beat Atlanta, you simply have to put them up against a wall and McCarthy’s hesitancy in unleashing his offense is endangering their value in NFL Divisional Playoff betting.

Green Bay Packers (10-6) vs. Atlanta Falcons (13-3)

Saturday, January 15th — Georgia Dome — 8:00pm EST

NFL Divisional Playoff Betting Line: Atlanta -2.5 (43.5)

I love the way Atlanta plays football. They grind down defenses. Michael Turner is a fridge on wheels and can be deployed steadily to pick up first downs and keep drives alive. And what can you say about Matt Ryan that hasn’t already been said?

One reason that Atlanta is being hampered in the NFL Divisional Playoff betting round is because they really only have one viable receiver. The linebacking corps of Green Bay can effectively take Tony Gonzalez out of the equation, and then it simply becomes a matter of containing Roddy White, which is easier said than done.

White is an incredible go-to receiver, but his presence in this game is being downplayed because Green Bay has a great receiving corps of their own. Led by Greg Jennings and the timeless Donald Driver, the Packers’ receivers don’t go down easily. On top of that, their top four pass catchers are legitimate threats.

To make the passing game effective, however, Green Bay needs to get another big game out of running back James Starks who had 123 rushing yards against Philadelphia. The easiest way for Atlanta to win this game is to challenge Starks to win this game for Green Bay. The problem with that tactic is that it assumes that the Falcons can get coverage sacks on Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay receivers. That is by no means an easy task.

Green Bay can wear down Atlanta’s defense, and that’s something that no team has been able to do this season. This isn’t meant to undersell the Falcons, who have been tremendous this season, but you can’t ignore that their schedule hasn’t exactly been difficult.

Going against the Falcons is a hard pill to swallow considering their strong 7-1 SU record at home, but Green Bay is simply too good in the passing game for Atlanta to handle for four full quarters.

Quite frankly, the Green Bay defense is too fast for Matt Ryan. You can waver on either side of the line in this NFL Divisional Playoff betting matchup without seeming stupid, but the smart money is on Green Bay to win and advance to an unexpected NFC Championship game.

NFL Divisional Playoff Betting Pick – Green Bay +2.5 (UNDER)

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