Coming into the 2016 season, critics across the web were picking the Green Bay Packers as this year’s online NFL betting favorite. But now that we’re a quarter of the way into the season, football fans have begun to see that that title belongs to another NFC North team; the Minnesota Vikings. This past Monday the Vikings uprooted the New York Giants to provide Week 4’s MNF action. Now the Giants will prepare to face the Packers in Week 5 in a game that will indubitably affect the playoff race. The Packers are second in their division while the Giants are tied for third in theirs. If either Green Bay or New York are looking to make the playoffs this year, then winning on Sunday is the way to do it. Whichever team wins will have one up over the other in the Wild Card race, so you can be certain both teams will be putting their best foot forward. Let’s check the odds across the web to see which prediction is the wisest online football bet you can make on Week 5’s Sunday Night Football action.
Week 5 – Sunday the 9th of October
Packers -7 (-110) 48 (-110) -270
Giants +7 (-110) 48 (-110) +240
Thanks to their lackluster effort against the Vikings, the online NFL betting odds are pegging the Giants as the underdog this upcoming Sunday. The Giants’ offensive problems lie in their inability to convert yards into points. Right now the Giants have the 6th best total offense in the NFL with an average of 382.2 yards gained per game with the large majority of that yardage coming through the air. New York’s passing game ranks 4th best in the NFL, while their running game is only 19th. Those numbers may be pretty impressive, but the next stat reveals New York’s Achilles Heel; with a pitiful average of 18.2 points per game, the Giants scoring ranks 27th in the NFL. There aren’t too many professional football teams that you can beat when you’re only putting up under 20 points each game, and the Green Bay Packers are no exception.
The Packers had some of the biggest expectations in the NFL heading into the 2016 season. Unfortunately for Green Bay fans, they haven’t been as stellar as anticipated. Right now the Packers’ total offense ranks 29th in the NFL, as well as their passing game. Their running game ranks 16th in the league, which is certainly a relief considering the Packers have struggled tremendously on the ground in recent years. However, seeing Green Bay having mild success on the ground doesn’t validate the struggles Aaron Rodgers, a two-time MVP, is having through the air. Many critics thought the return of Jordy Nelson would bring back the Rodgers the NFL had grown accustomed to. But heading into Week 5, we haven’t quite seen the accuracy the Packers passing game has been known for. Green Bay will be coming into this game with a Bye Week’s rest, and hopefully that will be enough to pick them as online NFL betting favorites over the Giants.
