Meanwhile, the books couldn’t be happier about these two matchups. All four remaining clubs are public darlings, so keeping their action balanced shouldn’t be much of a problem, unlike last weekend.
“These two matchups involving these teams in particular has the potential to create a record handle wagered legally in Nevada for championship weekend,” says Chuck Esposito, Race and Sports Executive at the Venetian Resort and Casino.
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears (+3, 44)
After two tough battles between these two teams, the books don’t expect anything different this time around. They do, however, expect a lot of action on the Packers after they dominated the Falcons at the Georgia Dome last week.
The books that have the Packers set at -3 have already bumped up the juice to around -120 at this point, while others have the line at -3.5. This likely won’t change much this week, so you’ll have to shop around for a line that suits you best.
“The Packers have the most momentum on the field and at the betting windows,” says Jay Kornegay, Las Vegas Hilton Sportsbook Director. “The public cannot get enough of the Pack right now and that’s why you see this inflated number.
“I expect most of the tickets on the Packers with the sharp money coming in on the Bears once it maxes out. Where? That is the big question. I would say -3.5 -120 on the Packers.”
As we saw in the first half last weekend in Chicago, weather may also play a major role in this weekend’s game.
“With Aaron Rodgers playing so well, and Jay Culter playing pretty well himself, bettors will be expecting offense,” Greg Sindall,
SportsInteraction.com oddsmaker says. “Expect the total to rise as the week progresses.”
