NFL Odds: Packers Enter New Era With Revamped Expectations

Tune in to the “Ultimate Betting Show” on NESN or NESN360 on Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET for NFL training camp previews. Next up: Green Bay Packers

The Packers have had Hall of Fame-level quarterback play for most of the last 30 years. Green Bay is desperately hoping Jordan Love won’t break that chain.

Green Bay finally decided to move on from Aaron Rodgers this offseason, turning the keys over to Love. The Packers shocked the football world when they traded up to take Love in the first round of the 2020 draft, but Rodgers set the timeline out of whack by playing at an MVP level.

The four-time MVP still has something left in the tank, but the Packers couldn’t afford to let Love sit any longer, so they sent the veteran to the Jets, and the future is now. Love takes over a seemingly talented if not unproven roster. The Packers still have a two-headed monster in the backfield with Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon, while the team is really banking on the evolution of receivers Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson.

On defense, there’s no shortage of talent — the Packers have famously used a plethora of first-round selections on that side of the ball — but the unit has largely disappointed. If that happens again this year, the Pack could be in deep trouble.

If the defense clicks, and the offense gels quicker than expected? The Packers could be an interesting team in a wide-open NFC.

2022 in review
8-9
8-9 against the spread
8-9 over/under

Key offseason additions
S Tarvarius Moore
S Jonathan Owens
DE Lukas Van Ness (draft)
TE Luke Musgrave (draft)
WR Jayden Reed (draft)

Key offseason losses
QB Aaron Rodgers
WR Allen Lazard
WR Randall Cobb
TE Robert Tonyan
TE Marcedes Lewis
S Adrian Amos

Look ahead to 2023 (via FanDuel Sportsbook)
Super Bowl: +4000
Conference: +2000
Division: +350
Win total: 7.5 (over -122)
Make playoffs: Yes +138 | No -188

2023 award contenders
MVP: Jordan Love +3500
Offensive Player of the Year: Aaron Jones +8000
Defensive Player of the Year: Rashan Gary +4000
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Jayden Reed +6000
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Lukas Van Ness +1400
Coach of the Year: Matt LaFleur +1600

2023 outlook
In Brett Favre’s first season as starter, the Packers went 9-7 and missed the playoffs. In Rodgers’ first year at the helm, they went 6-10. For as good as the quarterbacking has been in Green Bay for the last 30 years, it’s reasonable to expect a year or two of learning on the job — even from the best. So it’s obviously foolish to expect Love to have the Packers back in the playoffs and contending for the Super Bowl.

But there are also people who think this is one of the worst rosters in the NFL and that the Packers could even be in the running for the No. 1 pick. That seems like a slight overreaction. The Vikings are defending division champs, the Lions are everyone’s sweetheart, and the Bears have Justin Fields ready to take a massive leap, but those teams also have sizable flaws, too.

It all kind of points to exactly what the Packers were last season: a decent enough team that might contend for a playoff spot and win about as many games as they lose. The thing with that, of course, is the Packers were painfully mediocre with Rodgers under center last season. This year, 8-9 with Love manning the controls would be a perfectly fine showing. The Packers are probably a team built for contention in 2024, not 2023, but they could still be a pesky out — and cover — this season.