Packers

Green Bay Packers at Oakland Raiders: 2015 Week 15 NFL Pick

stevenlourie 2015 NFL Picks, 2015 Week 15 NFL Picks, NFL Picks, Packers, Raiders, Uncategorized

Green Bay Packers (9-4) at Oakland Raiders (6-7)

The public is all over the Packers this week, as 3.5 point favorites in Oakland. That’s not a surprise. Betting that the Packers will beat the Raiders by 4 or more points must seem like free money to a lot of people. I’m going the other way though. I love fading the public whenever it makes sense, because the public always loses money in the long run, and in this one, it definitely makes sense. The Packers rank 7th in rate of moving the chains differential, but the Raiders rank 12th. That suggests this line should be around even. Instead, we’re getting 3.5 points with the Raiders, which is huge, considering about 1 in 4 games are decided by a field goal or less.

The Raiders are also in a way better spot. While the Packers go to Arizona next week, for arguably the toughest game of their season, the Raiders host the Chargers, which is arguably their easiest game of the season. Teams are 101-169 ATS since 2008 as favorites before being underdogs when their opponent will next be favorites, including 11-23 ATS over that time period as road favorites. The Packers could definitely overlook the Raiders this week with such a tough game on deck, while the Raiders are highly unlikely to overlook the Packers. I like the Raiders to win outright, so I’ll take the 3.5 points in a heartbeat for my Pick of the Week.

Oakland Raiders 23 Green Bay Packers 20 Upset Pick +155

Pick against the spread: Oakland+3.5

Confidence: Pick of the Week

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Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers: 2015 Week 14 NFL Pick

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Dallas Cowboys (4-8) at Green Bay Packers (8-4)

When these two teams met in the playoffs last year, the Cowboys were 8-0 on the road and the Packers were 8-0 at home, the first time in NFL history a team that hadn’t lost at home hosted a playoff game against a team that hadn’t lost on the road. The Cowboys covered as 5.5 point underdogs, but lost the game in a very controversial 26-21 ending. This matchup is a little different. Quarterback Tony Romo is out for the season for the Cowboys and the same is true of wide receiver Jordy Nelson for the Packers, key players on both of these offenses. The Packers have lost their last 2 straight up at home, both as significant favorites like they are here.

However, as long as Aaron Rodgers starts (minus any games he’s been knocked out very early with injuries), the Packers are 30-14-1 ATS at home since 2010 and 39-6 straight up, with an absurd +604 point differential, meaning they outscore opponents, on average, by 13.42 points per game. The Cowboys, meanwhile, are 19-10 ATS as road underdogs since 2010. That makes it tough to pick which team is going to cover. Rate of moving the chains differential doesn’t help out much either. The Packers rank 9th in rate of moving the chains differential, while the Cowboys rank 17th and have moved the chains at a slightly worse rate in the 8 games Tony Romo has missed (69.14%), as opposed to the 4 games he has played (72.80%). This line, -7 in favor of the Packers, is pretty appropriate.

I’m going to take the Cowboys for three reasons. For one, the Packers are missing center Corey Linsley, which could easily hurt their offense. Two, the Packers are heavily backed by the public and I like to fade the public whenever it makes sense, as they always lose money in the long run. Three, the Packers have lost their last two home games, so they’re not exactly an auto-bet at home anymore. The Cowboys are a solid road team that can keep this close, but I wouldn’t want to have any sort of money going against Green Bay. It’s a no confidence pick.

Green Bay Packers 23 Dallas Cowboys 17

Pick against the spread: Dallas +7

Confidence: None

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Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions: 2015 Week 13 NFL Pick

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Green Bay Packers (7-4) at Detroit Lions (4-7)

After an impressive 6-0 start, the Packers have lost 4 of their last 5 games, including two straight home losses, to the Chicago Bears last week and to these Detroit Lions three weeks ago. The line has really adjusted in the last week, as Green Bay, who was favored by 6 points on the early line last week, is now favored by just 3 points. I love fading significant week-to-week line movements, as they tend to be overreactions to a single week of play. Aaron Rodgers is also 23-12 ATS off of a loss in his career.

However, as much as I love fading significant week-to-week line movements and as much as I love taking a quarterback like Rodgers off of a loss, I can’t take the Packers this week, even as mere 3 point favorites. I don’t think the line movement is an overreaction, as much as it is a correction. The Packers’ offense hasn’t been the same all season, since losing Jordy Nelson to a torn ACL in the pre-season, and, while their defense was covering for them early in the year, it’s regressed back to normal over the past few weeks, hence the 1-4 stretch.

The Packers certainly are not a bad team, ranking 9th in rate of moving the chains differential, but they’re not good enough to be favored here by a field goal, as Detroit ranks 25th in that statistic. That might sound like a big difference, but most of the league is bunched up in the middle this year. Green Bay is closer to 25th than they are to 4th. I can’t have any sort of confidence in the Lions either, without getting a couple more points, but they should be the right side, especially since the public is all over Green Bay. The public always loses money in the long run, so I like to fade them whenever it makes sense. It’s a no confidence pick of Detroit to start week 13.

Green Bay Packers 24 Detroit Lions 23

Pick against the spread: Detroit +3

Confidence: None

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Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers: 2015 Week 12 NFL Pick

stevenlourie 2015 NFL Picks, 2015 Week 12 NFL Picks, Bears, NFL Picks, Packers, Uncategorized

Chicago Bears (4-6) at Green Bay Packers (7-3)

The Packers lost to the lowly Lions in their last home game, but they’ve generally had a ton of success at Lambeau recently. As long as Aaron Rodgers starts (minus any games he’s been knocked out very early with injuries), the Packers are 30-13-1 ATS at home since 2010 and 39-5 straight up, with an absurd +608 point differential, meaning they outscore opponents, on average, by 13.82 points per game. That homefield advantage seems to be priced into this line though, as the Packers are favored by 9 (up from 7 a week ago), despite the fact that they rank 9th in rate of moving the chains differential and the Bears rank 19th.

The Bears have also been better offensively with Jay Cutler healthy (72.62% rate of moving the chains differential in the 8 games he’s been healthy, 56.25% rate in their other 2 games) and are getting Matt Forte and Alshon Jeffery back from injury this week. Tight end Martellus Bennett, wide receiver Eddie Royal, and possibly safety Antrel Rolle are out with injury, but the Bears are still healthier than they’ve been for most of this season. The Packers are pretty healthy too, but could be without center Corey Linsley on a short week and haven’t been as good offensively all season without top receiver Jordy Nelson, who tore his ACL in the pre-season. They are a great home team, but are far from a lock to blow out a decent Bears team.

The Packers are in a good spot, with a trip to Detroit on deck. Teams are 109-85 ATS before being 3+ point road favorites since 2012 and 71-50 ATS before being 4+ point road favorites over that same time period. However, so are the Bears, who host the 49ers next week. Underdogs of 6+ are 146-97 ATS before being 6+ point favorites since 1989. Lines can change so neither team is a lock to be in the spot I mentioned, but, either way, the logic holds. Both teams are have easy games on deck and should be very focused for this game. I’m taking the Packers by default at home, but I can’t put money on them unless this line goes back down to 7.

Green Bay Packers 31 Chicago Bears 20

Pick against the spread: Green Bay -9

Confidence: Low

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Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings: 2015 Week 11 NFL Pick

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Green Bay Packers (6-3) at Minnesota Vikings (7-2)

Aaron Rodgers is 23-12 ATS off of a loss in his career, as he typically responds well to adversity, but, now having lost 3 straight, public confidence in Rodgers is much lower than normal. This line has gone from favoring the Packers by a field goal in Minnesota to even, from the early line last week to now, a pretty significant line movement considering close to 1 in 4 games are decided by a field goal or less, but the public isn’t really on the Packers, as the action is pretty split.

Typically, I love fading significant line movements like that, as they tend to be overreactions to a single week of play, but I too am having a hard time being confident in the Packers. I wasn’t too worried about the Packers after their first two losses, because they were on the road in tough places to win (Denver and Carolina), but last week they lost at home for the first time since the 2013 post-season and they did it as huge home favorites against a Detroit team that is one of the worst teams in the league. They still rank 8th in rate of moving the chains differential, but their offense (XX) just simply isn’t the same without injured top receiver Jordy Nelson, who tore his ACL in the pre-season.

I ultimately do expect the Packers to turn it around and I do think last week’s loss was a fluke, but this is a tough spot for them to turn it around. The Vikings are a legitimate team, one that ranks 9th in the NFL in rate of moving the chains differential, and the Packers are not the same team on the road. There’s definitely an argument to be made that we’re still getting some line value with the Vikings. They’ve faced a very easy schedule and the Packers are the toughest opponent they’ve faced this season, but neither team has beaten anyone better than Seattle or San Diego. The Packers also have to play again in 4 days on Thanksgiving. Fortunately, they’re not favored here, as favorites are 43-68 ATS since 2008 before a Thursday Night game, but they’re a point away from being favored, so it’s worth bringing up. As much as I hate going against Rodgers off of a loss and as much as I hate not fading a significant line movement, I have to go with the Vikings for a no confidence pick this week.

Minnesota Vikings 24 Green Bay Packers 23

Pick against the spread: Minnesota PK

Confidence: None

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Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers: 2015 Week 10 NFL Pick

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Detroit Lions (1-7) at Green Bay Packers (6-2)

R-E-L-A-X. If Aaron Rodgers hadn’t said that last year after the Packers lost 2 of 3 games, he definitely would have said it now, after the Packers have lost 2 straight games. Both losses came on the road, against tough opponents, Carolina and Denver. The Packers still rank 9th in rate of moving the chains differential, despite those back-to-back tough road games, and should be able to bounce back at home against a vastly inferior Detroit team. As long as Aaron Rodgers starts (minus any games he’s been knocked out very early with injuries), the Packers are 30-12-1 ATS at home since 2010 and 39-4 straight up, with an absurd +610 point differential, meaning they outscore opponents, on average, by 14.19 points per game. They haven’t had that same kind of success on the road. Rodgers is also 23-11 ATS off of a loss in his career.

This line is pretty high at 11, but the Lions rank 31st in rate of moving the chains differential. If anything, this line is too low in Lambeau. The Packers would probably be favored by two touchdowns if they had a better showing on the road over the past 2 weeks. The public is all over the Packers, which concerns me, as the public always loses money in the long run, but I don’t see this game being very close and I’m pretty confident laying the 11 points.

Green Bay Packers 34 Detroit Lions 17

Pick against the spread: Green Bay -11

Confidence: Medium

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Green Bay Packers at Carolina Panthers: 2015 Week 9 NFL Pick

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Green Bay Packers (6-1) at Carolina Panthers (7-0)

The Packers are coming off of an embarrassing offensive performance in a loss in Denver. Their high powered offense moved the chains at a mere 68.18% rate and generated just 140 yards of offense, the fewest they’ve had in a game started by Aaron Rodgers in his whole career. Some are brushing that performance off as a product of the Broncos’ defense, who have been called arguably the greatest defense of all time this week by some. The Broncos certainly have a great defense, one that ranks 1st in the league in rate of moving the chains allowed, but calling them an all-time great at this point is a huge overreaction.

I’m not so sure the Packers will find too much more offensive success this week in Carolina, who rank 4th in rate of moving the chains allowed. Obviously there are some fluky elements to the Packers having such a poor offensive performance last week, even against a great defense like Denver, but there are legitimate reasons for concern. This offense hasn’t been the same this year without top receiver Jordy Nelson, who tore his ACL in the pre-season. They rank 7th in rate of moving the chains differential, but that’s a far cry from last year, when they ranked #1. As I mentioned, the Panthers have one of the best defenses in the league, with defensive tackle Kawaan Short, middle linebacker Luke Kuechly, outside linebacker Thomas Davis, and cornerback Josh Norman all playing at an All-Pro level, so the Packers could definitely have issues moving the ball again this week.

The Panthers’ offense is pretty average, as it’s really been their defense that’s carried the team to their 7-0 record, while the Packers’ defense has been pretty solid, though it’s concerning that they struggled to contain a Denver offense that ranks 30th in rate of moving the chains this season. It’s possible that performance can be chalked up to a fluke and a product of Peyton Manning and company being rested and having a great game plan off of a bye, but, either way, the Packers rank lower in rate of moving the chains differential than the Panthers (8th vs. 5th) and yet the Packers are the ones getting a field goal here on the road, away from Lambeau where they’re so good. Since 2010, they’re 41-7 at home, outscoring opponents by an average of 11.98 points per game (31-17 ATS), but just 27-21 on the road, outscoring opponents by an average of 1.12 points per game (24-24 ATS). This season, in addition to last big week’s loss in Denver, they’ve had trouble with both Chicago and San Francisco on the road and those are two of the worst teams in the league.

The Panthers are also in a good spot, going to Tennessee next week, a pretty easy place to play. Home underdogs are 72-44 ATS since 2002 before being road favorites. On top of that, teams are 106-82 ATS since 2012 before being 3+ point road favorites, 69-49 ATS before being 4+ point road favorites, and 42-29 ATS before being 6+ point road favorites. It hurts the Panthers that they’ll be without talented left guard Andrew Norwell, but they get center Ryan Kalil back this week and the Packers have an equally big injury as cornerback Sam Shields hasn’t practiced all week and is considered very questionable at best.

It does help the Packers that they’re in their 2nd straight road game.  Teams are 41-28 ATS since 2008 as road favorites off of a road loss in their 2nd of two road games. This is because teams tend to do better in their 2nd straight road game than their first one, but lines don’t really adjust for this. Teams are 208-213 straight up in their 2nd of two road games since 2008, getting outscored by an average of 0.50 points per game, as opposed to 296-414 straight up in their 1st of one road game since 2008, getting outscored by an average of 2.97 points per game. Aaron Rodgers is also 21-10 ATS off a loss in his career, which should give Packers fans some hope for a bounce back performance. However, I still think taking the field goal with the better team in the better spot at home is a no brainer here, especially with the public heavily on the Packers. This is my Pick of the Week.

Carolina Panthers 24 Green Bay Packers 17 Upset Pick +125

Pick against the spread: Carolina +3

Confidence: Pick of the Week

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Green Bay Packers at Denver Broncos: 2015 Week 8 NFL Pick

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Green Bay Packers (6-0) at Denver Broncos (6-0)

Both the Packers and Broncos enter this one undefeated. The only other time since 1989 when two undefeated teams met this late in the season was week 9 of 2007, when the Patriots (who eventually went 16-0) visited the Indianapolis Colts. Like in that game, the home team is the underdog in this one, as the Patriots were 4.5 point road favorites in 2007 (winning by 4), and the Packers are 3 point favorites in Denver this year. That game and this one are the only instances since 1989 where 6-0 or better team is the underdog at home.

The Broncos deserve to be home underdogs though, as they’re a significantly inferior team to the Packers. The Broncos haven’t played a very tough schedule (Baltimore, Kansas City, Detroit, Minnesota, Oakland, Cleveland) and have still only won one game by more than a touchdown and have lost the rate of moving the chains battle in 3 of 6 games. On the season, they’re actually slightly in the negative in rate of moving the chains differential, despite a 6-0 record, and rank 14th in that statistic. The Packers haven’t had a tough schedule either (Chicago, Seattle, Kansas City, San Francisco, St. Louis, San Diego), but they rank 6th in that aforementioned statistic. They’re solid on both sides of the ball, while the Broncos have a great defense, but a horrible offense.

Given that the Packers are legitimate field goal favorites here on the road in Denver, they’re in a great spot coming off of their bye. Favorites of 3+ are 41-13 ATS off of a bye since 2002. The Broncos are coming off of a bye as well, but that tends to benefit the better team more and the Packers are the better team here. I like their chances of remaining undefeated and covering this spread. I’m concerned about all of the public action coming in on Green Bay, but I’m still comfortable putting money on them.

Green Bay Packers 24 Denver Broncos 17

Pick against the spread: Green Bay -3

Confidence: Medium

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San Diego Chargers at Green Bay Packers: 2015 Week 6 NFL Pick

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San Diego Chargers (2-3) at Green Bay Packers (5-0)

I write about the Packers’ home dominance every week they play at home and there’s a good reason for that. As long as Aaron Rodgers starts (minus any games he’s been knocked out very early with injuries), the Packers are 30-11-1 ATS at home since 2010 and 38-4 straight up, with an absurd +603 point differential, meaning they outscore opponents, on average, by 14.36 points per game. This is well documented though, so we typically don’t get much line value with them at home, but they’ve still managed to cover 9 of their last 11.

I think they’re going to make it 10 of 12 this week, even though they’re favored by 10.5 points. San Diego is a solid team when they’re healthy, but they’re far from it right now. They’re expected to be without 3 starters on the offensive line for the 3rd straight week, including left tackle King Dunlap and left guard Orlando Franklin, their two best offensive linemen. On top of that, replacement left tackle Chris Hairston is expected to be out, while right guard DJ Fluker has been dealing with an ankle problem all year. They won two weeks ago with a patchwork offensive line, but that was at home against a Cleveland defense that hasn’t really been able to stop anyone this season. They should have won last week against Pittsburgh, but that was more the result of Pittsburgh’s inept quarterback play than anything San Diego’s offensive line did well. Philip Rivers is a good quarterback, but he was under siege all day and that was against a Pittsburgh pass rush that isn’t nearly as good as Green Bay’s.

Green Bay’s offense isn’t quite what it was last season, partially due to injuries in the receiving corps, but they’re still a very good offense and the defense is much improved. They rank “just” 5th in rate of moving the chains differential, but I think they’re still arguably the most talented and most complete team in the NFL. Considering, on average, they win by two touchdowns at home, they should have no problem making this another blowout in Lambeau, especially with a bye week on deck. Teams are 59-19 ATS as 6+ point home favorites going into a bye since 2002, which makes sense, as good teams with no upcoming distractions tend to take care of business. I know it’s boring, but the Packers at home are my Pick of the Week for the 2nd straight week.

Green Bay Packers 34 San Diego Chargers 17

Pick against the spread: Green Bay -10.5

Confidence: Pick of the Week

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St. Louis Rams at Green Bay Packers: 2015 Week 5 NFL Pick

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St. Louis Rams (2-2) at Green Bay Packers (4-0)

The Packers’ home dominance in recent years is well documented. As long as Aaron Rodgers starts (minus any games he’s been knocked out very early with injuries), the Packers are 29-11-1 ATS at home since 2010 and 37-4 straight up, with an absurd +589 point differential, meaning they outscore opponents, on average, by 14.37 points per game. Even though this is well documented, I still don’t think this line fully takes their home dominance into account, as they are mere 9 point favorites here over a vastly inferior Rams team. It’s either that or the odds makers are overrating the Rams.

I think it could be a little bit of both. The Rams’ won as 6.5 point underdogs in Arizona last week, but they didn’t play as well as that would suggest, as they lost the first down battle 26 to 13. The Rams moved the chains at a mere 66.67% rate, while the Cardinals, though they ended up losing by 2, moved them at a 71.05% rate. The only reason the Rams were able to win is because they won the turnover battle by 3 and it’s very tough to do that every week. Over the past 25 or so years, teams that win the turnover battle by 3, on average, have a +0.1 turnover margin the following week.

The Rams will have to find another way to keep this one close, especially since Rodgers hasn’t thrown an interceptions at home in 580 attempts, and I don’t think they’ll be able to. On the season, they rank just 27th in rate of moving the chains differential, while the Packers rank 6th. I know it’s only been 4 games, but that’s definitely consistent with what we saw out of these two teams last season, when the Rams finished the season 22nd and the Packers finished 6th. If the Packers are beating the average team by two touchdowns at home, they should have no problem winning by that amount, if not more here against the Rams.

The Packers are also getting a key player back from injury for this one, as right tackle Bryan Bulaga is set to return from a knee injury that’s kept him out since week 1. Safety Morgan Burnett, who has only played once this season (week 2), and wide receiver Davante Adams, who also missed last week, will remain out, but getting Bulaga back is more important. The Packers have been able to replace Adams and Burnett pretty well with Micah Hyde and James Jones respectively, but replacement right tackle Don Barclay was horrendous in place of Bulaga, grading out as Pro Football Focus’ 2nd worst ranked offensive tackle thus far this season. Bulaga, an above average right tackle, will be a significant upgrade and a big boost for an offensive line that has been the Packers’ only offensive problem area this season.

On the other side, the Rams have managed to suffer very few injuries during the season, but will be without linebacker Alec Ogletree for an extended period of time after he got hurt against Arizona. Todd Gurley being healthy definitely cancels that out and he ran well last week in his first game as the feature back, totaling 161 yards on 21 touches. However, it’s important to remember that Gurley, while he has tremendous upside, is a rookie coming off of a serious injury and to not get too far ahead of ourselves with him.

In addition to being the vastly superior team and having an amazing homefield advantage, the Packers are also in a great spot, with only a home game against San Diego on deck. They are expected to be 9 point favorites in that one as well and teams are 107-65 ATS since 2010 as favorites of 6 or more before being favorites of 6 or more again. The Rams don’t have any upcoming distractions either, going into a bye, but usually not having an upcoming distraction benefits the better team more than the underdog. Typically, I hate making huge wagers on huge favorites, but, even at 9, this line is way too low. The Packers should win this with ease and they are my Pick of the Week (and Survivor Pick).

Green Bay Packers 31 St. Louis Rams 13

Pick against the spread: Green Bay -9

Confidence: Pick of the Week

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