Detroit Lions vs Green Bay Packers
The Detroit Lions clinched a playoff berth last week and for all intents and purposes this is somewhat of a meaningless game.
Lambeau Field – Green Bay, WI
Sunday January 1 – 1:00PM
Moneyline: Detroit -200, Green Bay +170
Spread (ATS): Detroit -3.5
Over/Under: 47
Odds courtesy of 5Dimes
Detroit
Still you have to think the Lions would like to end a losing streak against the rival Packers that goes back to 1991. That was the last time the Lions won at Lambeau Field. Matt Stafford was just three year old.
The question is how much will he and the other starters play on Sunday. Winning would be nice but playoff health trumps that. Luckily they have an experienced backup in Shaun Hill. He hasn’t been forced into action much this year but over the years has shown he can produce and is better than most backups around the league. He definitely gives them a shot to end the streak.
On defense these kinds of games are pretty vanilla, especially when there is a chance that teams might face each other again in the playoffs. All it would take is a win in round one by Detroit and they are likely to be right back at Lambeau. Looking at the number it appears that Vegas is assuming this is a give-up for the Packers.
Green Bay
It is hard to know for sure just how seriously the Green Bay Packers are going to take this game. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Based on the number it looks like they will be resting all of their primary players to make sure they are strong for the stretch run. But with a bye next week either way we might see some of them for the first quarter just so it won’t have been almost a month since they saw game action when round 2 of the playoffs comes along.
In a game like this getting decent quarterback play is critical to remaining competitive. The Lions definitely have confidence in their backup and Packers backup QB Matt Flynn has had some success in limited playing time over the last couple of seasons. Most importantly he hasn’t been a train wreck. As long as they are playing smartly around him he has a chance to increase his reputation as one of the more game ready backups in the league.
While amassing their near perfect record the Packers have been lining pockets too with a 10-5 ATS record. Although their may be an inclination to continue their dominance of the Lions I am sure the Lambeau faithful will gladly trade a win in January for one this week. Mike McCarthy will play it smart and not play his guys any more than he has to to keep them sharp. If that much. You have to fade the Pack here or pass.
ATS Pick: Detroit -3.5
Over/Under Pick: Over
Score Prediction: Detroit 28 – Green Bay 21
