For a brief time over the weekend, the sports books were beginning to believe that Aaron Rodgers really might retire from the Packers, with sports books either taking Packers bets off the board entirely, or shifting the odds significantly. Now that Rodgers has put that speculation to rest, the Packers are back to being the betting favorites in the NFC North.
On Friday, PointsBet Sportsbook had the Packers at +115 favorites to win the NFC North, with the Vikings just behind them at +190. By Saturday, PointsBet had shifted the Vikings to the favorites at +125, with the Packers behind them at +160. Once Rodgers’ return was confirmed, PointsBet made the Packers heavier favorites at -140, with the Vikings moving to +225.
It’s easy to see why the Packers are favorites with Rodgers back: The Packers have won the NFC North two years in a row, and seven of the last 11 years.
As for the other two teams in the NFC North, the Bears are +500 underdogs to win the NFC North, while the Lions are extreme long shots at +2500.