Packers open as 4-point favorites over Seahawks in Divisional Playoffs

Home-field advantage always makes a significant difference in the NFL Playoffs, and Las Vegas sportsbooks are certainly taking that factor into account when looking at the Green Bay Packers’ opening matchup. With the fifth-seeded Seattle Seahawks coming to town for the Divisional Playoffs, the Packers are favored in Sunday’s upcoming game.

The early line from the books has the Packers favored by four points, a bit more than the three-point bump usually assumed for home teams. While the Packers do possess a strong home-field advantage, this is a sign that they would be favored slightly even on a neutral field.

Vegas also sees a moderate total score in this game, as the over/under opened at 46 points. That is the second-lowest opening total of any Divisional Playoff game, getting just a half-point more than the 45.5 for the Vikings-49ers contest. By contrast, the Texans-Chiefs Divisional matchup has an over/under of 49, while the Wild Card game between the Bills and Texans had a total of 43 (and finished under with a 22-19 Texans win in overtime).

Interestingly, the Packers are 7-2-1 against the spread when playing the Seahawks in the last ten meetings, dating back to the teams’ 2007 Divisional playoff game. Both times the Packers failed to cover were games in Seattle — once as a 3.5-point road favorite (in the Fail Mary game) and then in the 2014 season-opening 36-16 loss. Furthermore, the Packers have covered the spread in every game at Lambeau Field in that time frame as well.