Vikings at Packers NFL Betting Odds

The first half of an ESPN opening week Monday Night Football doubleheader takes place in Green Bay as the Packers host the Minnesota Vikings.

The Packers are two and a half point NFL betting favorites with a total of 38 at Sportsbook.com. The Packers start life after Brett Favre as the future Hall of Fame quarterback was traded to the New York Jets in the preseason.

All of the pressure now falls on Aaron Rodgers. The Packers are hoping Rodgers is the answer because they have two rookies, Brian Brohm and Matt Flynn backing him up.

Green Bay was fantastic last season as they went 13-3 straight up and a sizzling 12-3-1 against the NFL betting odds. The Packers nearly made the Super Bowl but they were upset at home by the New York Giants in the NFC Championship game.

The Packers were 6-1-1 against the NFL betting number at home in the regular season last year. Five of those games went over the NFL odds total. That is somewhat surprising considering the Packers had the sixth ranked defense in the NFL in points allowed according to NFL betting odds.

The Vikings were exciting last season simply for the fact that Adrian Peterson was arguably the best running back in the NFL. He led the top ranked rushing offense in the NFL. The Vikings will try and get some sort of passing game going this season as Tarvaris Jackson looks to take the pressure off of Peterson.

The Vikings ranked 28th in the NFL in passing offense last year according to NFL betting stats, and receivers accounted for only 12 TDs. The receiving game is expected to be improved this year with the addition of former Chicago wide receiver Bernard Berrian.

On the defensive side of the ball the Vikings added defensive end Jared Allen in the off-season to upgrade the pass rush. The Vikings were already tough against the run, as they ranked 1st in the NFL in rush defense last season according to NFL betting stats.

The Vikings were 3-3-2 last season on the road versus the NFL betting odds. Green Bay has won 9 of the last 15 meetings between the two teams including the last four games. In NFL betting stats, the Packers won 34-0 at home against the Vikings last year and 23-16 at Minnesota.