The Green Bay Packers hardly even showed up last week. In fact, the stench of their performance as they lost to the Saints (38-3) stunk all the way from Jacksonville to Milwaukee. It would be safe to say that BetOnline customers are expecting something better out of them as they make their NFL Monday night picks, if for no other reason than that they are hopping mad.
If you would have stopped last week’s game between Detroit and San Francisco after 2-1/2 quarters, Dan Campbell may have been hopping mad. But the Lions launched a furious comeback to cut a 49er lead from 28 to eight points. And that gave the new coach some hope.
So dare we say that Detroit is carrying some positive momentum into the Monday night clash? Maybe, but it’s daunting to face the reigning MVP if he’s angry.
The kickoff is scheduled for 8:15 PM ET at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
Packers vs. Lions: Let’s take a look at the Numbers:
In the Monday Night Football odds posted at BetOnline, the Packers are solid favorites:
| Team | SP/RL | TOTAL | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | +11½ ( -110 ) | 49 ( -110 ) | +450 |  |
| Packers | -11½ ( -110 ) | 49 ( -110 ) | -600 | |
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NFL Monday Night Picks – Packers collapse
Well, it wasn’t an Aaron Rodgers-like effort last week against New Orleans (the game was in Jacksonville). He completed barely more than half his passes (15 of 28). His 133-yard total was paltry. And he was intercepted twice, after being picked off only five times all of last season.
Who knows. Maybe there was a spill-over from the off-the-field problems that had developed between Rodgers and management. And maybe there is some discontent with coach Matt LaFleur. But we’re just speculating. Rodgers does not consider himself a long-term proposition with this franchise.
It was not all about offense last week. The defensive front allowed 171 rushing yards. So the whole thing was bad all the way around.
NFL Monday Night Picks – Detroit’s silver lining
When you look at the offensive numbers for the Lions in the opening week, there is actually some stuff there that is rather impressive. They racked up 31 first downs, and they got what they wanted out of their running backs. Jamaal Williams, the former Packer, had 54 yards on nine carries. And D’Andre Swift had 65 receiving yards, with a 43-yard TD.
Jared Goff had 338 yards through the air. But the guy who stuck out was tight end TJ Hockenson, who had 97 receiving yards. One could say that a lot of this consisted of “garbage yards.” But the game that was way out of reach suddenly became one where the Lions had a chance.
NFL Monday Night Picks – What the Lions have to do
What hinders the Detroit offense is that Goff doesn’t have the ability to really get the ball downfield. His receivers averaged 6.1 yards per catch. That’s not a lot. But that’s the way it is. Dan Campbell knows it. Sean McVay knew it, which is why he was interested in dealing him to the Lions in exchange for Matthew Stafford.
Against Green Bay’s defensive setup, in which safeties usually playback to prevent big plays, Goff will almost assuredly have to dink and dunk the ball down the field, if the Lions hope to move the chains.
Detroit will have to keep the Packer defense honest with some successful runs. Campbell is dead set on establishing his backfield, either for runs from scrimmage or catching passes.
The good news for the Lions is that they don’t have a bad offensive line. And it doesn’t appear that first-round draft pick Penei Sewell had much of a problem switching over to the left tackle spot.
NFL Monday Night Picks – The final word
We sense that Detroit, catching all these points, can keep it within this sizable number. That’s because they won’t stop firing away under Dan Campbell. And they are going to throw. Yes, they will have to work harder to put together drives,but they may have some ammunition to do it enough.
Rodgers is savvy enough to take what Detroit’s defense is going to give him. If he is aided by a running game, that will make him more difficult for the Lions to deal with. He’s not afraid to throw underneath, and he’ll do it with success.
It’s true that these drives may take some time. But IF the Lions don’t offer a lot of resistance, we’ll see a lot of scoring. Taking the OVER is the best way to go here.
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