Today at MetroBet.us/Sugar we take a betting glance at three NFC North teams and dish out some wagering advice on win total over-unders.
Vikings
The Vikings were one of the NFL’s biggest disappointments in 2018 as they missed the postseason with an 8-7-1 record.
But here’s saying that Minnesota will right the ship this season.
The Vikings brought in former Super Bowl winning coach Gary Kubiak as a top assistant to Mike Zimmer, and Kubiak is known for his ability to coach up QBs with a ton of play-action options. Cousins thrived at times in Washington with play-action, but did not get to incorporate it much in his first season in Minny.
The Vikes will return the entirety of their stout defense as well, a unit that gave up just 196.3 passing yards per game last season (best in the NFC).
The play: $10 on Vikings Over 9 wins at MetroBet.us/Sugar – Legally bet here now and you can get up to $250 in free money
Bears
In addition to the Vikings improving from last year, I also like the Packers and the Lions to be better – meaning that most of this division is going to be huddled around 7, 8 or 9 wins just before the New Year.
The Bears still have a very strong roster, and return the brunt of a defense that finished first in fewest points allowed in 2018 (just 17.7 per game). But the mastermind of that defense is now in Denver (Vic Fangio).
Offensively, the jury is still out on whether or not Mitch Trubisky can be a top 15 quarterback – let alone a top 10 QB. And Chicago dealt its top rusher from a season ago, in Jordan Howard, to the Eagles.
The 9.5 win total at MetroBet.us/Sugar seems a smidge high. Taking the Under.
The play: $10 on Bears Under 9.5 wins at MetroBet.us/Sugar – Legally bet here now and you can get up to $250 in free money
Packers
One thing is for sure. The cheese in Green Bay is no longer stale.
The Packers will feature a boatload of “new” in 2019 with a new head coach in 39-year-old Matt LaFleur, top defensive free agents in Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith and Adrian Amos, as well as arguably the best linebacker in the 2019 NFL Draft in Rashan Gary from Michigan.
The Packers defense gave up 25.0 points per game last season, which ranked 22nd in the league. It gave them little to no shot in low-scoring games, which is a huge problem in the defensive-focused NFC North.
Look for Green Bay’s defense to make a sizable leap in the right direction in 2019.
As for the offense, the Packers didn’t add much around Aaron Rodgers – but the hope is that LaFleur’s new system will resurrect the Discount Double Check champion.
Rodgers actually threw for the second most yards of his career last season, which hints that despite all of 2018’s chaos that he is still capable of being the top QB in the NFL.
I expect all of the new faces to lift this team to 10 or 11 wins.
The play: $10 on Packers Over 9 wins at MetroBet.us/Sugar – Legally bet here now and you can get up to $250 in free money
