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NFL Week 10 Betting – Pack to Get on Track vs. Lions

Zack Garrison

by Zack Garrison in NFL Football

Updated Jan 17, 2018 · 9:39 AM PST

Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers (-11, 48.5 o/u)

The Green Bay Packers (6-2, 4-0 Home) find themselves on a rare two-game losing streak, which has dropped the team into a tie with Minnesota at the top of the NFC North. Aaron Rodgers and company will have a good chance to go back to their winning ways this Sunday, though, when the NFL-worst Detroit Lions (1-7, 0-4 Away) come to Lambeau Field (1:00 PM Eastern).

Green Bay looked vulnerable in multiple areas during their past two games, losses to the Broncos and Panthers, respectively. The Pack allowed 500 yards and 29 points to Denver offense that had been struggling, and then were torched for 427 yards and 37 points by a Carolina team that’s more efficient than prolific.

Tempers flared on the Green Bay sideline towards the end of the Carolina game. The cameras caught DB Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, DE Julius Peppers, and DT BJ Raji having a heated argument on the sidelines. But the team is trying to downplay the significance of the exchange.

“It wasn’t even an issue. There wasn’t anything to be addressed,” Peppers told the Associated Press. “I think it showed passion for the game, not necessarily frustration. Everybody wants to win. Sometimes you do get frustrated during the course of a game. Things happen. I actually like it. It’s passion, it’s emotion, it’s guys wanting to play better and win games.”

On offense, Aaron Rodgers has looked human thanks, in large part, to a lackluster receiving corps.  His wideouts are failing to get any separation against the league’s better secondaries.  However, the biggest problem is arguably the running game. Eddie Lacy is averaging just 3.7 yards per carry, and looks to have lost the starting job to James Starks, who’s been a little better at 4.3 YPC.

“[Starks has] earned that opportunity,” coach Mike McCarthy told the AP. “I’m not a big believer in just riding one running back the whole season. We’ll stay with the one-two punch.”

Detroit looks like the perfect opponent to help Green Bay bump its slump. The Lions haven’t won at Lambeau since 1991, and QB Matt Stafford is 0-4 in his career so far. Making matters worse, the team just fired its general manager and president a week ago after losing for the seventh time in eight tries this year. (Their lone victory came at home against the Bears in OT.)

Like the Pack, the Lions are also struggling to run the ball, averaging a league-worst 69.9 yards per game. The one-dimensional nature of their offense has the Lions sitting second-last in the league in points scored (18.6 points per game), while injuries have played a big part in putting Detroit dead-last in points against (30.6). A season-ending hip injury to LB DeAndre Levy, who was second-team All Pro last year, has been particularly damaging.

Rodgers has generally responded well to adversity (though he hasn’t told fans to RELAX yet this season); in their last six games following a straight-up loss, the Packers are 4-1-1 ATS. They’re also 7-3-1 ATS in their last 11 games following an ATS loss. Meanwhile, the Lions are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games as a road underdog. The trends say Green Bay in a walkover. Roll with Rodgers to rebound.

Pick: Packers -11.

(Photo credit: Mike Morbeck (flickr) “Marshall Newhouse (74), Cliff Avril (92)” [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode]. Photo has been cropped.)

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