Packer Central

Gap Narrows Between Packers, Lions in Latest NFC North Odds

The NFC North could be one of the most hotly contested divisions in the NFL, with the Packers, Lions and Bears bunched in the latest odds.

Bill Huber

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff fumbles after the hit by Green Bay Packers linebacker Preston Smith during the first half at Ford Field on Nov. 23, 2023.
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff fumbles after the hit by Green Bay Packers linebacker Preston Smith during the first half at Ford Field on Nov. 23, 2023. / Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers closed their gap against the Detroit Lions on the field last season, and they’ve closed it in the latest NFC North betting odds, as well.

After the early waves of NFL free agency, the Lions were the favorites at +130, followed by the Packers at +210, the Chicago Bears at +350 and the Minnesota Vikings at +750.

In updated odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, the Lions remain the favorites at +145. However, the top three have grown closer. The Packers have moved to +185 and the Bears have closed to +320. The Vikings, on the other hand, have drifted to +900.

What does that mean? By implied probability, the Lions have a 40.8 percent chance of winning the NFC North, followed by the Packers at 35.1 percent and the Bears at 23.8 percent.

Only the AFC East has a tighter spread between its top three teams, with the Buffalo Bills at +165, New York Jets at +185 and Miami Dolphins at +210.

Last season, the Lions won the NFC North by two games over the Packers. Both teams fell just short of slaying the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs.

With Year 2 with Jordan Love at quarterback and rave reviews about Jeff Hafley’s defense, the Packers concluded their offseason program filled with optimism.

“I think we’ve laid a good foundation,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “The things that we stressed to these guys in terms of our communication, how close the connection can get, I think it’s a good start. But it really doesn’t matter once we come back to training camp. (Then) it’s about what we do moving forward.

“Again, it’s just the foundation. So, I feel really good about the group in there and hopefully throughout the course of these five weeks is you cannot come back the same player. You’ve got to come back better. You’ve got to come back in better shape, and you’ve got to come back better mentally.”

Of course, the Lions, Bears and every other team in the NFL headed into their summer vacations filled with hope and optimism, as well.

“You know what I want,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “I want the whole enchilada.”

Added linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard: “Before you can set goals, you have to set a foundation. The things we’ve been discussing this offseason have been foundationally. I think we all know where we’re at as an organization and what the goal is this year. Dan, the whole enchilada, he’s been eating a lot of Mexican. But that’s what we’re all in this year, is for the whole enchilada.”

Both teams should be better following strong offseasons. The Packers signed safety Xavier McKinney in free agency and had five picks in the first three rounds of the draft. Their only key loss was running back Aaron Jones, though they signed 2022 rushing champion Josh Jacobs and drafted MarShawn Lloyd.

Detroit’s pass defense was hideous last season – Love torched that unit in the win at Ford Field – but the Lions responded by drafting cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw and acquiring former Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Carlton Davis.

“To say that defense is an issue with the Lions would be only partially correct,” FanDuel’s Gabriel Santiago noted. “The front seven -- led by edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson -- is actually quite stout. However, Detroit's secondary was porous in 2023, allowing 7.8 yards per passing attempt. From there, they surrendered a league-high 69 completions of 20 or more yards.”

Led by rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and the potentially prolific receiving trio of D.J. Moore, veteran addition Keenan Allen and rookie Rome Odunze, the Bears might be the most-improved team in the NFL.

For exact betting order, Lions, Packers, Bears and Vikings is the top choice at +650, with those odds adjusting from +700 overnight. Lions, Bears, Packers and Vikings is next at +750, followed by Packers, Lions, Bears and Vikings at +800.

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.