The marquee matchup of Week 8 – no offense to the Saints and Vikings on Sunday night – is Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers facing the unbeaten L.A. Rams. This is the biggest an NFL betting underdog Rodgers has been as a starting QB in his NFL career.
Packers at Rams NFL Week 8 Spread & Pick
What you need to know about the Rams heading into Sunday’s #GBvsLAR matchup 🎥 pic.twitter.com/ifQIrbF8sb
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) 24 de octubre de 2018
- When: Sunday, 4:25 PM ET
- Where: LA Memorial Coliseum
- TV: Fox
- Radio: SiriusXM/NFL
- Live Stream: NFL League Pass
- NFL Week 8 Spread: Los Angeles Rams -9.5 (Total 57)
Ravens vs Panthers NFL Week 8 Odds & Pick
Weather Forecast
- Partly Cloudy: 26°C/79°F
- Humidity: 33%
- Precipitation: 0%
- Cloud Cover: 56%
- Wind: 7 mph WSW
- Stadium Type: Open
All-Time Series
Tied in the regular season at 45-45-2.It is the first time the Packers have played at the Los Angeles Rams since traveling to Anaheim in 1991. Even though it will be the first regular-season matchup between the two teams since the Rams moved back to Los Angeles, Green Bay has won five consecutive games over the Rams and 12 of the last 16. The Packers have outscored the Rams, 147-64 (plus-83), over the last five contests. The last was 24-10 Green Bay at home in 2015.
Why Bet on Green Bay?
Assuming this line doesn’t drop a ton by Sunday, it would represent the largest total by which Aaron Rodgers has been an underdog in his career and biggest since the Packers were 8-point underdogs to the Seattle Seahawks in 2014. Green Bay was an underdog to the Arizona Cardinals by 7 in 2015, to the New York Jets by 6 in 2010 and to the Atlanta Falcons by 5.5 in 2016. All but the Jets game came in the playoffs. That 2010 meeting with the Jets was the previous biggest regular-season spread as an underdog for Rodgers. Green Bay won 9-0.The Packers come in off their bye week. In games immediately following its bye week, Green Bay has won 16 of its last 22 (.727), including wins in seven of the last nine. Overall, the Packers are 9-3 (.750) under Mike McCarthy in games played the week after the bye. The Packers have won six of the previous seven matchups against NFC teams in the week after the bye. Since 1990, the Packers are 11-2 during the regular season in California (49ers / Raiders / Chargers / Rams), including 4-1 under McCarthy.
Rodgers looks like he will get two receivers back this week. Randall Cobb (hamstring) was limited at Wednesday’s practice. The return to practice puts Cobb on track to play after getting the bye week to rest up. The Packers could also get Geronimo Allison (hamstring) back. Allison appeared close to playing before the bye.
Even without those guys, Rodgers has thrown for 867 yards with five touchdowns and zero interceptions the last two games. He had been wearing a knee brace but is hopeful of shedding it Sunday. The Packers’ dropback percentage of 71.4 percent — that’s pass attempts, sacks, and scrambles — is at its highest since 2008, when Rodgers became the starter. Green Bay needs to run more to help Rodgers.
Why Bet on LA Rams?
What else can you say about the Rams? They are the NFL’s lone unbeaten and clearly the best team in the NFL right now. The Rams, who are 7-0 for the first time since 1985, lead the league in point differential (+107), rank third averaging 33.6 points per game and fourth in points allowed per game (18.3). Since 1990, when the current 12-team playoff format was adopted, 80 percent (205 of 256) of the previous teams to start 5-2 or better advanced to the postseason, including eight of the nine teams to begin the season 5-2 or better in 2017.They stomped the Niners in San Francisco last week 39-10. Jared Goff completed 18-of-24 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns. Todd Gurley rushed 15 times for 63 yards and two touchdowns and caught 4-of-5 targets for 23 yards and another score.
Gurley, who has 14 total touchdowns (11 rushing, three receiving) this season, is the third different player with at least 14 touchdowns in his team’s first seven games to start a season, joining Hall of Famer Jim Browns (15 in 1958) and Priest Holmes (14 in 2002 and 14 in 2004). Gurley has three games with three touchdowns this season and eight total the last three weeks.
With two touchdowns on Sunday against Green Bay, Gurley can become the fifth player since 1970 to score multiple touchdowns in five of his team’s first eight games of a season. The other four players to accomplish the feat are all enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Defensively, Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald leads the league with eight sacks and is one of three players in the NFL with at least 10 tackles for loss in 2018 (10).
Rams coach Sean McVay said WR Cooper Kupp (knee) is doubtful for Week 8. Kupp is said to be making “good progress” in his recovery from an MCL sprain, but he was never likely to play this week after also missing Week 7.
Buccaneers vs Bengals NFL Week 8 Spread & Betting Analysis
Packers at Rams NFL Week 8 Betting Trends
- Packers are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 vs. NFC
- Packers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 road games
- Over is 5-0 in the last 5 meetings at Rams
- Favorite is 10-1 ATS in their last 11 meetings
- Green Bay is 3-5-1 SU in its last 9 games
- The total has gone OVER in 6 of Green Bay’s last 7 games
- LA is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games at home
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Rams’s last 6 games at home
