It is particularly unusual for the Green Bay Packers to be underdogs at home in recent years. Since the start of the 2024 season, the Packers have been home underdogs just twice, and one of those games featured the significant unknown of the team starting a backup quarterback.
Both of those games came during the 2024 season. Week two saw the Packers — with Malik Willis set to make his first start in relief of an injured Jordan Love — getting 2.5 points against the visiting Indianapolis Colts. Green
Bay won that game 16-10, thanks to an efficient 12-for-14 passing day from Willis and 151 rushing yards from Josh Jacobs. The second time that a visiting team was favored at Lambeau Field that year was a few weeks later when the Detroit Lions came to town, and the Lions won 24-14 as 2.5-point favorites.
On Sunday in Week 5, the Chicago Bears come to Lambeau likely to feature a backup quarterback, but given the two teams’ recent results, it’s understandable that Chicago is favored at the start of the week. As of Monday morning,FanDuel Sportsbook has the Bears favored by that familiar 2.5-point spread for the two teams’ meeting in the early slate on Sunday.
After sitting out the Bears’ prior game against the Eagles with a concussion, backup Tyson Bagent returned in Week 4 and helped lead his team to a 23-12 victory over the New York Jets, throwing for 268 yards and one interception. The Bears completely dominated the game, however, owning the football for nearly 43 minutes of game clock and running a whopping 89 offensive plays to the Jets’ 32. Kyle Monangai was the biggest star for the Chicago offense, toting the football a whopping 30 times for 146 yards and two touchdowns.
If the Packers can’t sustain drives on offense and keep their own defense fresh, it could be a very long afternoon next Sunday. Edgerrin Cooper’s absence will likely be a significant blow to the defense as well, particularly with the third-year linebacker having played at an extremely high level to this point in the season. If the Packers offense can find a way to keep Jordan Love clean, there should be opportunities downfield, but the books see only a moderate expectation of offensive firepower; the over/under for total points this week is set at 44.5.
Will the Packers be able to overcome this spread while sporting their Rivalries uniforms on Sunday? Keep it here at APC for more updates as the week goes on.
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