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by Chuck Sommers
Saturday, Jan 07, 2023Win and you’re (sort of) in
Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
Venue: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI
Where to watch: NBC
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Packers -5; Packers -225, Lions +190; O/U 49
FanDuel: Packers -4.5; Packers -240, Lions +198; O/U 49.5
BetMGM:Packers -4.5; Packers -225, Lions +180; O/U 49
Caesars: Packers -4.5; Packers -220, Lions +190; O/U 49
Season record
Lions: 8-8
Packers: 8-8
We’re coming down the home stretch of the NFL season and there’s still a lot left to get excited for on your TV screen (or your streaming device if you’re like me and watch Sunday Ticket on a Fire Stick. That works, too). Nevertheless, the final few weeks of the regular season are going to be hectic for everyone on the field, but just as much as everyone off it. You’re probably going to need to figure out which plays are the best ones in terms of teams sitting the star players for the playoff advantage, or which teams are going all in for the final playoff push. If you need that extra push, trust that our champion handicappers can get the job done for you. Matt Fargo has a 17-9-0 run over the last 30 days in the NFL. Brian Bitler has continued to stay consistent, despite a wild, unpredictable season, by going 16-9-0. Do you want a piece of this action? Make sure to stay locked to bigal.com and follow our champion handicappers so you can be a champion, too!
Lions - Packers preview, analysis and prediction
Last week
Lions: won 41-10 vs. Bears
Packers: won 41-17 vs. Vikings
In a perfect world, you would want this matchup to be the winner take all situation that usually highlights Sunday Night Football in the final game of the regular season. But ironically enough this game is only going to matter to both teams if the Seattle Seahawks somehow find a way to lose to the lowly Los Angeles Rams. And we know from past experience that's not as easy as it makes it seem. But the Detroit lines can get to the playoffs if they defeat the Green Bay Packers and the Seahawks lose to the Rams, while the Packers just need to win and they get in. Regardless of what the Seahawks do. So I guess get cozy because this game is going to be a very interesting one.
If you're a masochist you probably want Seattle to lose because the idea of getting Detroit into the playoffs while on a run of winning seven of their last nine is extremely tantalizing. Detroit definitely had a big slip up in their 37-23 loss to the Carolina Panthers a couple weeks ago but found a groove the next week in dominating the Chicago Bears 41-10. Detroit is obviously a very inconsistent group and one has to wonder that if they have the chance to play for something will they be able to put together an effort on the road in Green Bay to be considered playoff-ready.
Given the season that Detroit has had any semblance of making the playoffs would be considered a miracle given everything that's happened. Even the fact that if this was still a 16 game season, the Lions finishing 8-8 is an incredible feat and is something that really should be applauded thanks to the job of Dan Campbell and what he has done with this group after the start they had. Detroit has gone 11-5 against the spread this season and has been such a popular selection on the books. The fact that they are getting 4.5 against Green Bay really says a lot about them covering as an underdog in the biggest game of the season.
But if it weren't for the fact that the Green Bay Packers have gone on a four-game winning streak and have seemingly put themselves in position to get to the playoffs when all hope seemed lost about a month and a half ago, the lions would absolutely be the bigger story right now. But right now it is Aaron Rodgers and it is the Packers that have seemingly found their way to closing in on a playoff spot. And I'm only throwing this out there into the ether because I don't want it to happen. We really do not need the Dallas Cowboys to play the Packers in a wild card game in Dallas. I'm just throwing that out there and hoping that it doesn't happen because if it does it's going to be another choke job for Dallas. Just thought I'd throw that out there.
Prediction
The Detroit defense has been rather inconsistent all season long and if Green Bay has really found the right formula to make this situation work, it would be shocking you know situations if Detroit locked down in a game they needed to win. Obviously this hinders everything on what happens with Seattle, and the fact that I see the Seahawks winning that game, I can see a deflated Detroit team just laying off the gas against a red hot Packers team. Packers 34, Lions 20
Betting trends
Lions are 22-11 ATS in all games the last 2 seasons.
Lions are 19-9 ATS as an underdog the last 2 seasons.
Packers are 78-51 ATS as a home favorite of 7 points or less since 1992.
Packers are 33-18 ATS at home after 3 straight wins since 1992.
Statistical leaders
Lions:
Passing: Jared Goff – 4,214 yards, 29 TD, 7 INT
Rushing: Jamaal Williams – 994 yards, 15 TD
Receiving: Amon-Ra St. Brown – 1,112 yards, 6 TD
Defense: James Houston – 8 sacks
Packers:
Passing: Aaron Rodgers – 3,490 yards, 25 TD, 11 INT
Rushing: Aaron Jones – 1,073 yards, 2 TD
Receiving: Allen Lazard – 747 yards, 5 TD
Defense: Preston Smith – 8.5 sacks
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this Detroit Lions - Green Bay Packers prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NFL projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
