Green Bay Packers (8-2, 7-3 ATS) vs San Francisco 49ers (9-1, 5-4-1 ATS)
Much is on the line in a week 12 meeting of the NFC’s #1 seeded 49ers and #2 seeded Packers at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, CA on Sunday at 8:20 p.m. ET.
A win for the Packers would put them in a multiple team tie for the top seed with five games remaining in which they play only one team with a winning record.
The 49ers have a grueling schedule left that forces them to play two 8-2 teams as well as the 6-4 Rams.
Hanging in the balance is home field advantage for the NFC Championship game on Sunday, January 19.
San Francisco will seek to avenge a 33-30 loss to the Packers in Green Bay last year.
The 49ers won 36-26 over the Cardinals, but only pushed the spread because of a fumble returned for a TD on the final play of the game.
The Packers beat the Panthers 24-16, a game in which they failed to exploit Carolina’s 19th ranked defense, something which isn’t a good sign as they prepare to face the proverbial King of the Hill. They covered the -4.5 point spread.
Bookmakers have tabbed the 49er as -3 favorites and the total is 46 points.
Money line bettors can get the 49ers at -161 and the Packers at +150.
The total is 5-5 in the last ten games for both of these games, but has gone over four consecutive times for San Francisco and the under is on a two-game streak for the Packers.
Green Bay has covered in three of their last four games and the 49ers are 1-2-1 in that same span.
Can Green Bay be trusted?
The Packers are just two weeks removed from an embarrassing 26-11 loss to the Chargers, a team that has looked hapless all season long.
Last week, they had a chance to show that was a fluke, but while they won, it was far, far, far from an impressive performance.
Now, they’re running into a team that has been the NFL’s juggernaut to this point in the season.
Last week was a strong effort in which they allowed only 16 points, but on the season the Green Bay defense ranks 28th in the NFL. This week, they are playing the fifth best offense in the League.
49ers little room for error
Despite having played a nearly perfect season of football with 11 weeks in the books, the 49ers have their work cut out for them going forward.
Winning games, especially at home, will be important every week when you consider that the Saints, Seahawks, Rams and a resurgent Falcons remain on their schedule.
They must seize upon chances to win games like this one against Green Bay if they want to be, in the famous words of former Cardinals coach Dennis Green “who we thought they were!”.
Our Pick – Packers +3