Green Bay Packers vs. Seattle Seahawks Betting Odds: Thursday Night NFL
Carrie Stroup here and this is the day we have all been waiting for, the start of the 2014 NFL season. Today I have your Green Bay Packers vs. Seattle Seahawks betting odds for the Thursday Night NFL kickoff to 2014. All odds courtesy of our friends at Sportsbook.ag. Place your 1st bet, get your 2nd bet for FREE.
Sportsbook.ag Line & Total: Seattle -6 & 47.5
The Green Bay Packers head to Seattle Thursday night to take on the Super Bowl Champion Seahawks in the opening game of the 2014 NFL season.
The season kicks off with a matchup between two NFC powerhouses. Last season, the Packers dealt with numerous injuries but still won the NFC North Division with an 8-7-1 SU record (6-9-1 ATS). They are healthy now and are looking to start their season off with a big road win, going 4-4 SU (3-4-1 ATS) on the road last year. The Seahawks, however, are coming off of a blowout win over the Broncos in the Super Bowl to cap off an amazing 16-3 SU record (13-6 ATS), which included a 9-1 SU mark (6-4 ATS) at home.
Packers +6 Seahawks/Total 47.5 
The Packers were road favorites the last time they went to Seattle in September of 2012, but they lost the game 14-12. That win for Seattle, however, is their only ATS victory over Green Bay since 2004. The Seahawks are 2-6 SU in their past eight meetings with the Packers and 1-3-2 ATS in the past six matchups. Three of the last five games between these teams have gone Over the total. Both teams have positive coaching trends here, as Green Bay is 60-43 ATS (58%) versus NFC foes under head coach Mike McCarthy, while Seattle is a perfect 8-0 ATS at home in the first month of the season under Carroll, who is also 12-2 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points since taking the job as the Seahawks head coach. Both teams enter relatively healthy, but the Packers will miss TE Brandon Bostick (leg) and DT B.J. Raji, who is on IR with a torn right biceps. For the Seahawks, RB Christine Michael (hamstring) is doubtful to suit up, while DE Bruce Irvin (hip) is questionable.
The Packers started off the season 5-2, but QB Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone in Week 9, which sent the team into a 2-5-1 spiral until he returned in Week 17 to win at Chicago and secure a playoff berth. Green Bay was also without starting WR Randall Cobb for 10 weeks of the season after he broke his leg in Week 6. But he too was able to return for that regular-season finale, scoring the game-winning touchdown in the game's final minute to send the Packers to the postseason. He is 100 percent healthy heading into 2014, and will be counted on to produce numbers like he did in 2012 when he caught 80 passes for 954 yards and 8 TD. But the injuries to Rodgers and Cobb forced the team to run the football more last year, and rookie RB Eddie Lacy delivered with 1,178 rushing yards (4.1 YPC) and 11 touchdowns in his rookie season, earning the trust of the players and coaches around him. With the Seahawks defense leading the NFL in passing defense last year (172 YPG), Lacy will get plenty of action on Thursday night.
If the Packers are going to go anywhere this season, however, they must improve defensively. Last season, the team allowed 247.3 passing yards per game (24th in NFL) and 125.0 rushing yards per game (25th in NFL). The healthy return of OLB Clay Matthews (50 career sacks), who missed five games including the playoffs, and the addition of DE Julius Peppers (118.5 career sacks) will put more pressure on opposing quarterbacks and help out a subpar secondary that picked off only 11 passes last year (T-26th in NFL). This is an offensive juggernaut when healthy, but the defense must do a good job of keeping Aaron Rodgers and company on the field.
Packers +6 Seahawks/Total 47.5
Seattle ended the season on top of the football world, blowing out the Broncos by a final score of 43-8 in the Super Bowl. The Seahawks, however, still have more to prove, as they want to establish themselves as a dynasty before they fade away. QB Russell Wilson will have a much bigger opportunity to run this team in the 2014 season. Wilson threw for 3,357 yards with 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions last season, but the team may rely on the pass way more often. Top RB Marshawn Lynch rushed for 1,257 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, but he’s 28 years old and a very physical runner. The Seattle coaches will likely look to reduce his workload going forward. Having a healthy top WR Percy Harvin will do wonders for this offense. Harvin couldn’t stay on the field all of last season due to a hip injury and a concussion, but he is a playmaker who can help his team in a number of different ways. In the Super Bowl, Harvin scored on a kick return to open the second half and also ran for 45 yards on just two carries.
The Seahawks, however, win their games on the defensive side of the ball. Last season, they led the NFL in scoring defense (14.4 PPG), total defense (274 YPG), yards per play (4.42) and interceptions (28). While the "Legion of Boom" gets the most recognition on this defense with CB Richard Sherman and FS Earl Thomas, the front four is also stacked with talent like DEs Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril, who combined for 16.5 sacks last season. This is a well-balanced team and they are very deep with guys who can come in and contribute.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
