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NFL Betting - NFC North Division Win Totals

By scottshapell | View all Posts
Posted Wednesday, August 26, 2009 05:42 AM   2 comments
With the addition of Brett Favre to the Minnesota Vikings the entire landscape of the NFC North division has changed. Does that mean the NFL betting conditions for win totals have also changed? Here’s a rundown of all four teams in the division and their win totals.

We might as well start with the Vikings, who the oddsmakers have posted with a win total of nine. Nine might seem low, and maybe it is since OVER is a -160 favorite on the NFL betting odds. Minnesota won 10 games last season with Gus Frerotte and Tarvaris Jackson sharing the snaps. They should be able to better that, or at least match it, with Favre calling the shots. The addition of offensive dynamo Percy Harvin also adds another aspect to the offense, which should give Favre more options and running back Adrian Peterson more room to run.

Also clocking in with a total of nine wins are the Green Bay Packers. That actually seems higher than it should be for a team that won only six games last season. That’s been taken care of, though, with the UNDER being listed as a -140 favorite on the NFL betting odds. You can’t blame Green Bay’s awful season last year on QB Aaron Rodgers. He actually played well in his first season as starter, but the defense crumbled around him at times. A defense that includes names like A.J. Hawk, Charles Woodson, Aaron Kampman, and Al Harris should bounce back, so maybe nine wins isn’t such a stretch after all.

The Bears also made a change at QB in the offseason with the addition of Jay Cutler. Cutler is definitely an improvement over Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman, but will he do as well in the Windy City with less talented receivers? Devin Hester and Earl Bennett don’t exactly compare to Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal, but Cutler does have two reliable tight ends in Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen. The Bears’ total is set at nine, with the OVER a -160 favorite on the NFL betting odds. How well and how quickly Cutler adapts to his new surroundings will determine if the OVER pays off.

And then there are the Lions. Detroit went 0-16 last season so any number of wins will be an improvement. Their win total was set at 4.5 with the OVER favored at -145. Where those five wins might come from is anyone’s guess.

One thing bettors like to consult when betting win totals is strength of schedule. For the NFC North that may be slightly skewed this season. According to the strength of schedule the Bears have the easiest schedule, followed by Minnesota and Green Bay. That’s due to the Lions’ 0-16 record last year; remove the Lions from the equation and things would look a lot different.

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Gold_Rush says:
08/26/09 06:21PM
Everyone seems to be pumping the love for the Vikings. Personally I am not sold just yet

And if anyone who had a brain while watching Farve last year will say he was hardly impressive

- is it really an upgrade?

I love the guy as a legend but he really should have called it a day. Speaking for myself, I am sick of him.

With AP you gotta like this team, he is a beast of a running back and the team could ride him to glory.

so 10 wins is a possibility, but the jury is still out on this team.

andydtc says:
08/26/09 11:59PM
I agree gldy, he's got a lot of miles on him. Green Bay and Chicago aren't push overs this year either, I'm not convinced they even have a lock on the division.
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