Will Hill
FOX Sports Betting Analyst
You won’t have to wait long to get a glimpse of the new-look Packers.
The Detroit Lions will open the season on the road Sunday, as they travel to Lambeau Field to take on Green Bay.
In 2023, this was nearly the NFC title game, with the Packers blowing a second-half lead to the 49ers, preventing an all-NFC North showdown in Detroit for a trip to the Super Bowl.
Could that NFC Championship Game matchup come to fruition two years later?
Well, the Eagles will certainly have something to say about that, but these two teams are both certainly capable of playing in February.
The Packers are 2-point home favorites, despite being swept by the Lions last season, losing by a field goal as time expired, 33-30 in Detroit, and losing 24-14 at home.
The Lions are coming off a 15-2 season that earned them the 1-seed in the NFC playoffs last year. However, it is the Packers who are not only favored in this game but now find themselves as favorites in the NFC North after the acquisition of former Cowboys star pass rusher Micah Parsons.
While I understand the newfound enthusiasm for the Packers, it feels strange to be laying points to a team that just won 15 games last year.
My best bet here is Packers to win the first quarter at -135 (if they are tied after the first quarter, the bet is a push and bets get refunded).
Most teams choose to defer and play defense when they win the coin toss; the Packers don’t. They often opt to take the ball first in hopes of scoring first and establishing a lead, and even did so in the preseason. So, chances are very good that the Packers will start this game on offense, giving them not just the first possession, but two out of the first three possessions, a major advantage when isolating your bet to just the opening quarter.
“Packers to score first” is also a good alternative to this bet, and is widely available at just about every sportsbook. In what should be a good game between two serious NFC contenders, I’m backing the favored team to lead after one quarter of play.
PICK: Packers (-135) first-quarter moneyline
Will Hill, a contributor on the Bear Bets Podcast, has been betting on sports for over a decade. He is a betting analyst who has been a host on VSiN, as well as the Goldboys Network.
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