Aaron Rodgers and Packers are double-digit underdogs for 1st time in his career
Aaron Rodgers said after the Green Bay Packers' loss on Sunday that nobody would believe in them heading into a game next week against the Buffalo Bills.
In terms of the point spread, he was right.
The Packers are a big 10.5-point underdog at BetMGM against the Bills for the Sunday night game. That's a first for Rodgers.
Rodgers has never been an underdog of double digits in his career. As Joe DiBiase of WGR in Buffalo pointed out, the biggest underdog the Packers have ever been with Rodgers at quarterback was +8.5 at the Seattle Seahawks in 2014. The Packers lost that Week 1 game against the defending champion Seahawks 36-16.
Rodgers has started 213 regular-season games in his career. Being a double-digit underdog (assuming the line doesn't move to 9.5 or shorter by kickoff) in start No. 214 is significant and telling.
There are two main reasons Green Bay is such a big underdog for this week's game: The Bills are very good and the Packers are not. The Bills are the Super Bowl favorite and rightfully so after beating the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6, before their bye. The Packers fell to 3-4 with a loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday. The Packers were 4.5-point favorites in that game and lost outright.
After the game, Rodgers was predictably defiant when asked about the Packers.
"I'm not worried about this squad," Rodgers said after Sunday's loss, via the Packers' site. "In fact, this might be the best thing for us, this week. Nobody's going to give us a chance, going to Buffalo, Sunday Night Football, with a chance to get exposed."
Maybe Rodgers is right. He has been there before when critics wondered if the Packers were finished. This is a big challenge, however. The Bills are as good as advertised and have a couple blowout wins already this season. The Packers offense has been surprisingly mediocre, and the defense, which was hyped before the season as one of the best in the NFL, has been average too. They've lost three in a row after a 3-1 start to the season.
Now we get to see how Rodgers and the Packers respond to being double-digit underdogs. They've never been in that position before.
