On Sunday, the Green Bay Packers head to the Meadowlands to try to shake off a rough performance in Week 1. The team heads into MetLife Stadium for a matchup with the New York Jets, who are 1-0 after a 23-10 win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 1.
Despite the two teams’ different fortunes in their respective openers and despite home field advantage, the Packers come into week one as the favorites. As of mid-day Friday, the current spread (from FanDuel Sportsbook) is 3.5 points in favor of the Packers, which is down a point from the -4.5 line that started the week.
That line may shift further depending on the teams’ Friday injury report, however. Green Bay will be closely monitoring the status of Lukas Van Ness and Javon Hargrave, both of whom are in the concussion protocol after exhibiting symptoms in the days following last Sunday’s loss. Hargrave was a non-participant in practice on Thursday, though Van Ness was limited and members of the media spotted him in pads. Meanwhile, the Jets have ruled out Minkah Fitzpatrick, rookie receiver Omar Cooper, and a few others already on Friday morning.
Despite last week’s ugly results, APC’s writers are confident in the team’s ability to bounce back. It’s a sweep for our writers in picking the Packers straight up in this game, and the majority of our writers also see Green Bay covering the 3.5-point spread:
| Writer | Straight-Up Winner | Against the Spread (GB -3.5) | O/U Total 44.5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tex | Packers | Packers | Under |
| Justis | Packers | Jets | Under |
| Rcon14 | Packers | Packers | Over |
| Jon | Packers | Packers | Over |
| Paul | Packers | Packers | Over |
| Zach | Packers | Packers | Over |
One other consideration for this week is the fact that rain is expected in New Jersey over the weekend. That could make the game a bit more sloppy if it does indeed arrive during game time.
The Packers are, of course, 0-1 against the spread so far this season, with Minnesota easily covering last week. The Vikings were just 1.5-point favorites heading into the game. Meanwhile, the over hit last week, with the total points line set at 46.5; Minnesota’s 4th-quarter scoring spree, spurred by their defense overwhelming the Green Bay offensive line, pushed them to within a touchdown of the total all on their own in a 39-22 win.
