By Stephen Nover
Packers plus 9 1/2 at Rams
Only four times has Aaron Rodgers been an underdog of six or more points in his NFL career. The Packers are 4-0 ATS in those games.
Rodgers is the best quarterback in football and now he’s fully healthy for the first time since the start of the season with no more knee brace. But even wearing that knee brace, Rodgers still has thrown for 1,997 yards in six games with a 12-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
This game means a lot for the Packers and it comes at a good time following their bye. The extra time has allowed Rodgers and his wide receivers to get healthy while providing additional prep time for the Packers to figure out a way to slow down the Rams.
The Rams should not be as motivated as the Packers. They are in a fat and happy state being the lone unbeaten team in the NFL and owning a commanding four-game lead in their weak NFC West Division. I do believe the Rams are the best team in football. However, they are overrated here because this point spread is inflated.
The schedule has laid out well for the Rams. They have beaten the Raiders, Cardinals, Broncos and 49ers. Those four teams are a combined 6-21. The toughest foe the Rams have played is the Vikings and that came at home for them on a Thursday when the Vikings had to travel on a short week.
LA has played against just three good quarterbacks this season – Philip Rivers, Kirk Cousins and Russell Wilson. The Rams defense surrendered an average of 28.3 points to those three quarterbacks. Rodgers is better than all three.
Todd Gurley is a monster. But the Rams are down their top possession wide receiver with Cooper Kupp out for a second straight game. Green Bay has weapons, too, with Davonte Adams and Jimmy Graham. Adams is the best receiver on the field and the Packers have superior receiving depth with Kupp out.
The Packers defense is better, too, with Mike Pettine as defensive coordinator and youthful talent in the secondary with Jaire Alexander, Kevin King and Josh Jackson. These aren’t the stiff cornerbacks who former general manager Ted Thompson drafted and later was forced to cut or trade.
(Stephen Nover is one of the top football handicappers in the country and he’s proving it again this season entering this weekend going a documented 35-14 in college football on his premium/free plays since September and 30-19-3 in the NFL. If you are interested in Stephen’s sports service please email or message him.)
