NFL Betting: Cleveland Browns at Green Bay Packers

A couple of teams looking for consistency face off in this non conference battle at storied Lambeau Field. The Green Bay Packers were expected to be one of the top teams in the NFC this season but instead have been disappointing in going 3-2 in the early part of the season. The defense has shown some improvement but there’s a sense that the offense just isn’t as potent as expected for team led by star quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Cleveland has had a strange season–the sense was that they were ‘hitting the reset button’ when they traded star running back Trent Richardson but the team has played fairly well since then winning three of their last four games to even their season record at 3-3.

We admit that we keep going back and forth in our assessment of the Packers. For some reason the Green Bay Packers were widely ignored by NFL pundits in preseason predictions for NFC champions but at 3-2 are well within striking distance of the NFC North lead. The Packers went 11-5 last season and despite losing key contributors like Greg Jennings they should be in the hunt for the playoffs once again this season. Aaron Rodgers remains one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Before their upset loss to San Francisco in the 2012 playoffs Green Bay was in excellent form down the stretch–they went 9-2 in their final 11 games going 8-3 ATS. The Packers even added Eddie Lacy out of Alabama–he may be one of the best running backs they’ve had in years. They’ve also received a nice contribution from another rookie running back, Jonathan Franklin out of UCLA. In other words, the Packers may have the best rushing game they’ve had in recent memory.

Credit Cleveland for the effort they’ve shown following the Richardson trade but we’ve lost a lot of our enthusiasm for the Browns since rookie quarterback Brian Hoyer was lost to a season ending injury. Brandon Weeden just isn’t consistent enough to trust in what will likely be a shootout with Packers’ quarterback Rodgers. Green Bay has reestablished their legendary swagger on their home field–they’re 15-5 ATS in their last 20 games at Lambeau Field.

BET GREEN BAY PACKERS -9′ OVER CLEVELAND BROWNS