49ers Favored by 7 vs Packers in Opening Spread for NFC Championship

• The San Francisco 49ers beat the Green Bay Packers 37-8 in Week 12
• Aaron Rodgers has thrown for just 243 yards or less in eight of his last nine starts
• The Packers are averaging 23 points per game over their last five – read below for our prediction on how the line will move before kickoff

The Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers were both victorious in the Divisional Round, which means now they’ll square off in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday. The 49ers have opened as a seven-point favorite for the contest but which way will the line move as we progress throughout the week?

Green Bay Packers vs San Francisco 49ers Odds

Odds taken Jan. 12th.

Packers Edge Seahawks On Sunday

The Packers were mostly in control of Sunday’s game against the Seahawks but there was still a bit of a sweat at the end of the game. The Packers held two separate 18-point leads but needed to convert a couple of key third downs on their final drive to preserve their 28-23 victory.

Of concern was the team’s passing game, once again, which only seemed to work when throwing to Davante Adams. He had 160 yards and a pair of touchdowns. However, Aaron Rodgers had just 243 passing yards on the day, marking the eighth time in his last nine games that he’s thrown for 243 yards or less.

FINAL: The @packers are advancing to the NFC Championship Game! #NFLPlayoffs #GoPackGo #SEAvsGB

(by @Lexus) pic.twitter.com/xh66oV2XKM

— NFL (@NFL) January 13, 2020

The Packers were outgained in first downs, total yards, passing yards and time of possession, but still managed to earn the win. That’s kind of been the story of their season as they’ve now won 14 games even though they’ve been outgained by 125 yards (cumulatively).

49ers Easily Dispose Of Vikings

While the three other favorites had to sweat during the Divisional Round, the 49ers had a relatively easy time of things. They never trailed at any point, led 14-10 at the half and easily pulled away to a comfortable 27-10 win.

While the final score shows a 17-point win, the 49ers absolutely whipped the Minnesota Vikings in Saturday’s contest. The Vikings totaled just seven first downs in the game along with a paltry 145 yards of offense. The 49ers won the time of possession battle 38:27-21:33.

Another game earned. ?

Bring on the NFC Championship! #BeLegendary pic.twitter.com/uiv5hQNPS3

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) January 12, 2020

Jimmy Garoppolo had just 131 passing yards for the 49ers but they ran for 186 yards and a pair of touchdowns, which is all they needed to keep control of the game. They’ll rely on a similar effort next Sunday when they host the Packers.

Which Way Will The Line Move?

The 49ers opened -7, after being 6.5-point favorites on the lookahead line before Sunday’s games. It’s a pretty big line especially considering that in the AFC, we have a No. 2 seed hosting the No. 6 seed and the No. 2 seed is also favored by seven. In the NFC, we have the No. 1 seed hosting the No. 2 seed but the spread is the same.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the 49ers inched up to -7.5 as they blew out the Packers earlier this year. In their Week 12 showdown at San Francisco, the 49ers rolled the Packers 37-8 and bettors are going to use that as a reference point.

The #49ers locker room reacts to the decisive 37-8 victory over the Green Bay Packers on #SNF. pic.twitter.com/AeDi7JFXAx

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) November 25, 2019

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers had one of his worst games in a long time, passing for just 104 yards. The Packers scored 28 points on Sunday but are averaging just 23 points per game over their last five outings. I don’t see a huge move in this game either way but it’s more likely to inch up to -7.5 than it is to come down to -6.5.

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