Posted on 1/10/2008 10:05:02 AM

Football Betting Action - Seahawks (+ 8) vs. Packers (- 8)

By D.S. Williamson

In the first NFC Divisional Playoff game this weekend the Seattle Seahawks travel to the Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers. The Packers are coming off of a bye week while the Seahawks are coming off of a game that they probably should have lost versus the Washington Redskins last week. In any case I suspect that this line may rise during the week.

Whether or not that has any bearing on where our money should be depends on a thorough evaluation of these trends:

The Seattle Seahawks are 7 and 2 against the spread in their last 9 overall games.

The Seattle Seahawks were 3 and 5 against the spread in their away games during the regular season.

The Green Bay Packers are 13-3-1 against the spread in their last 17 overall games.

The Green Bay Packers were 6-1-1 against the spread in their home games this season.

What this game will come down to is the effectiveness of the Seahawks pass rush versus Green Bay quarterback, Brett Favre. Make no mistake, home-field advantage is a huge plus for the Packers, but the fact that the Pack didn’t play last week makes me pause before dumping on them against the spread in this game.

The teams in the NFC playoffs are actually much closer to each other than any of us might believe. As good as Dallas and Green Bay have been all year, on paper, from the coaching staff down to the third-string center, all four remaining teams in the NFC are almost carbon copies of each other. They all have decent, not great defenses, and good, not great quarterbacks.

So, what’s the difference? Well, for one the Seahawks have momentum. They absolutely dominated the Redskins, when they needed to, in the last half of the fourth-quarter last week. Can the Hawks carry that momentum into Lambeau Field?

On the other side is home-field advantage and preparation. Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy is a master at game-planning. He will show up with some wrinkles on the offensive side of the ball. That extra week off also should have helped Favre.

So, what’s going to give in this game? I have to stick with my gut and my gut tells me that giving up more than a touchdown in a playoff game in the NFC just isn’t smart wagering. The Packers do not have a decided advantage over the Seahawks. In fact the Packers lack of experience might hurt them in this spot.

The team that the Seahawks bring into Lambeau Field is almost the same team that made it to the Super Bowl two years ago. That means they should, if anything, keep this game close.

The BetUS NFL betting line is Seattle Seahawks + 8 against the spread on the road versus the Green Bay Packers.

I like the Seahawks to beat the spread in this game.

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