Oddsmakers Think It Will Be A Long Year For The Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers won the NFC North divisional championship every year from 2019-’21 and returned as prohibitive favorites each following season.

That won’t be the case this year.

The Packers went 8-9 last season and finished third in the NFC North. Then Green Bay traded quarterback Aaron Rodgers this offseason.

Interestingly, gambling sites everywhere are now picking the Packers to finish fourth in the division. Green Bay hasn’t been last in the NFC North since 2005.

Here’s how some of the sites currently look.

DRAFT KINGS

Detroit — +110

Minnesota — +350

Chicago — +350

Green Bay — +500

CAESARS

Detroit — +155

Minnesota — +275

Chicago — +350

Green Bay — +400

BET MGM

Detroit — +130

Minnesota — +325

Chicago — +325

Green Bay — +400

POINTS BET

Detroit — +130

Minnesota — +300

Chicago — +325

Green Bay — +400

While the folks in the desert don’t think much of Green Bay, the Packers themselves have far greater expectations.

“I think the expectations for our whole football team are very high,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said. “I don’t think we’re going to put any ceilings on that. I don’t want to say expectations are low. I think expectations are high and we’ll kind of see how it goes. But we’re excited.”

The Packers — who ranked 17^th in total offense and total defense last year — face a tough path back to the top of the division. Not only has Rodgers departed, veterans Mason Crosby, Adrian Amos, Allen Lazard, Robert Tonyan, Dean Lowry, Jarran Reed and Randall Cobb are also gone.

Green Bay is turning to fourth-year quarterback Jordan Love, who has one NFL career start. Love has improved by leaps and bounds, though, since the Packers drafted him in the first round in 2020. And the entire organization is excited to see what Love can do.

“It’s been a cool process from the day we drafted him to see him now, just to see how he’s matured in every facet of life,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said of Love. “I think he definitely understands that he’s the guy in charge, he’s going to be the guy in the huddle and he’s got to be an extension of us and we’re excited for him.

“We’ve got a lot of confidence in him. I think he showed it just in the limited action he did last year and just the ability to step in there and the moment was not too big for him.”

LaFleur himself was the darling of Green Bay his first three seasons.

The Packers went 39-10 in that time, won three straight NFC North division titles, went 16-2 in the division and reached two conference championship games.

Many jumped off the LaFleur bandwagon last year, though, when the Packers suffered their losing season since 2018. He’ll now have to prove he can win without Rodgers.

LaFleur put his neck on the line bringing back underachieving defensive coordinator Joe Barry for a third year. If Barry’s defense continues to disappoint, not only will he be gone, but LaFleur could soon follow.

Green Bay, which selected 13 rookies in last week’s NFL Draft, will have its youngest roster in several seasons. And the folks in Las Vegas believe that will lead to a rough season.

The Packers feel differently.

“I feel like I’m excited every year, but it’s going to be a process,” LaFleur said. “I realize that. Any time you’re around guys that, we’ve just got to find out what we can do with these guys and how much volume can be placed on them … over the course of the offseason.

“There’s been a lot of time that out staff has spent studying just trends around the league and what’s being successful and that’s exciting. That’s fin. That’s what I enjoy doing and then trying to teach these guys what we want to do and where this offense, and really where our football team can go as a whole.”