The Green Bay Packers hope to have Aaron Rodgers back under center as they look to keep their playoff hopes alive when they visit the Carolina Panthers on Sunday as 3-point underdogs on the NFL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Rodgers has been sidelined since suffering a broken collarbone in a 23-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 6, but received the green light from medical staff this week, clearing the way for his return in Sunday afternoon’s Packers vs. Panthers betting matchup at Bank of America Stadium.
The 7-6 Packers have struggled with inconsistency during Rodgers’ absence. The squad has endured a 3-5 straight-up run that started with its loss to the Vikings as 3-point road chalk, but Green Bay has remained in the hunt with consecutive wins over last-place teams, including last week’s 27-21 overtime victory over the 0-13 Cleveland Browns as 2.5-point road favorites.
However, all five of the Packers’ recent defeats have come against teams that currently sport winning records. That does not bode well for Green Bay as it prepares to face a Panthers team that has won and covered in five of six to climb into a first-place tie with the New Orleans Saints atop the NFC South standings.
Carolina now has won three straight on home turf after topping the Vikings 31-24 as 2.5-point chalk last weekend and has garnered increased interest as a +2200 bet on the Super Bowl odds. The Panthers picked up a 37-29 win as 2.5-point underdogs in Green Bay’s last visit in 2015, and have won and covered in two of their past three home matchups with the Packers.
While the return of Rodgers gives Green Bay a lift, the Philadelphia Eagles will have to adjust to life without starting quarterback Carson Wentz as they visit the New York Giants as 7.5-point favorites this week.
Wentz had emerged as a +100 favorite on the NFL MVP odds while leading the Eagles to nine straight SU wins and their first NFC East title in four years. The team now will turn to backup Nick Foles, who makes just his second start since the end of the 2015 NFL campaign. However, Foles has tossed four total touchdowns in two career victories over New York, which has tallied just 12.33 points per game during a three-game SU slide.
In other NFL Week 15 betting action, the Saints look to avoid consecutive losses for the first time since September as they host the New York Jets as heavy 16-point chalk, and a rare Saturday night matchup has the Kansas City Chiefs facing the visiting Los Angeles Chargers as 1-point underdogs in a battle for first place in the AFC West.
