The Green Bay Packers produced further evidence that they struggle to close out winnable games on Sunday afternoon against the Minnesota Vikings, where they surrendered a 12-point 22-10 lead mid-way through the third quarter to lose a whopping 39-22.
The team surrendered 22 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, and in doing so also conceded turnovers on back-to-back-to-back drives (including the initial turnover on downs).
In light of said uninspiring performance, the team has gone from being the second-favorite to win the division to dead last.
34% — Lions 31% — Bears 21% — Vikings 14% — Packers
A $100 trade on the Packers to win the division pays out $629.20.
Prediction markets have the Packers around the 15% mark. Prior to kickoff on Sunday, that number was around 10 percentage points higher.
Sportsbooks have the Packers graded similarly, with them being given an implied probability (after margin) of sitting atop the North for the first time since the 2021 season of approximately 17%.
Are the Markets Overreacting to the Packers’ Loss?
Whilst Green Bay’s floundering certainly have not endeared them in the eyes of the public, especially Packers fans, the change in price could be more attributed to the impressive performances of their division rivals, rather than it being solely a reflection on the team’s late-game collapse.
The Bears looked excellent offensively against a sneakily good Carolina Panthers team, putting up 59 points and close to 300 rushing yards on one of Sunday’s early slate kickoffs. The Lions also put up a strong showing against a decent New Orleans Saints team, although they were a failed Saints two-point conversion away from starting the season 0-1.
And the Vikings under Carson Wentz looked capable offensively. Which combined with Flores’ notoriously hard-to-deal-with, blitz-heavy defensive scheme makes them a serious opponent in division.
Are Green Bay Still Contenders in the NFC North?
Even with the odds moving away from Green Bay, there will still multiple strong takeaways from the game. Jordan Love looked proficient throwing the ball downfield, putting up 387 yards in just 21 completions.
Schematically, it looks like there is really something there with new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who kept the Vikings’ offense more or less in check prior to the fourth quarter 83 yard touchdown drive that commenced a horrible final period for Green Bay.
The front seven had their moments, especially linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, who logged seven tackles and a sack on the day – with a second half-sack on the very next play having been wiped out by a penalty.
But perhaps the most significant change will be the re-entry of All-Pro Micah Parsons into the lineup at some point post Week 5. If he comes back and returns to his pre-injury form, the Packers undoubtedly become division contenders once more.
Packers’ Capitulation vs. Vikings Triggers Worrying Development