:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63716179/usa_today_11943427.0.jpg)
The question for 2019 isn’t ‘Are the Packers better?’ They are. How much better? If we go by how the oddsmakers feel about, the answer is significantly better. Right now, the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook has Green Bay tied for third-best odds in the NFC to win the Super Bowl at 14-1. In other words, if you bet $100 on the Pack, you’d win $1,400 — not a bad pay day.
Only the Rams and Saints at 8-1 boast shorter odds, while the Eagles and Bears each stand at that same 14-1 figure. While being a public team could be skewing those odds a little, the win total numbers (which could also be affected by public money) have the Packers in that same range.
Westgate set the over for the Rams and Saints at 10.5, with the Eagles at 9.5 and the Bears tied with the Packers at 9, along with the Vikings and Cowboys. Vegas thinks the Bears are slightly more likely to hit that over based on the line, but Green Bay stands ahead of Minny and Dallas in that regard (for more of an explanation into that, click here). Certainly the NFC East’s cellar props up Philly’s potential win total, while the NFC North hurts.
In short, the Packers appear clearly to be viewed as in the mix to compete for an NFC Championship, shaking off the ugliness of last season with a revamped roster, a new coaching staff, and an altered outlook for the future.