The first week of the 2011 NFL season is among us, as many fans find it hard to believe it’s time for football after a prolonged lockout. For the first game of the season, the NFL has decided to matchup the last two Super Bowl champs, as the defending Green Bay Packers welcome 2009’s best team, the New Orleans Saints this evening.
This game, which has a scheduled opening kickoff of 8:30 PM ET from Lambeau Field, will be broadcasted live on NBC. According to NFL Week 1 Odds makers, the Green Bay Packers [-4½] will go into their season opener as the sports betting odds favorites to defeat the New Orleans Saints [+4½] in the point-spreads category.
For the Packers, the taste of Champagne is now gone, as it’s now time for Aaron Rodgers & Co. to decided if this group will be a one-hit wonder, or one of the all-time best teams by going back-to-back. NFL Week 1 Odds makers not only believe the Packers have what it takes to defeat the Saints tonight, but also have them winning the NFC North [4/13] and all the way to the 2012 Super Bowl [5/1], but only to lose to the New England Patriots [9/2].
For the Saints, erasing the memory of an unexpected early exit from last year’s postseason is on the top of their priority list. With the core of the team still pretty much in place and with Drew Brees leading the charge, NFL Odds makers have listed New Orleans as the betting favorites to emerge as the NFC South champs [5/6].
However, the Saints don’t stand much of a chance in the big picture in the eyes of most NFL Odds experts. Going into Week 1, the New Orleans Saints have been given the fifth best [12/1] odds at winning the 2012 Super Bowl. That doesn't seem too bad, one may think, until one sees the list of teams ahead of the Saints' odds: New England, Green Bay, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, San Diego and New York Jets.
