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There are three teams vying for a win in the NFC North this season and any one of them has a fair enough shot.
It goes without saying that the winless Detroit Lions are out of the running. Odds to win the 2008 NFC North have the Chicago Bears as only a slight +164 favorite compared to both the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings at +174 odds each. Regardless of which team you plan on betting, the payout is still slightly better than $100 per $100 bet at Bookmaker.com
The Chicago Bears - With Kyle Orton out, Rex Grossman is back in. He walked off with a victory last week but that was against the lowly Lions. It seems that has a chance to be back in the lineup against the Packers on Nov. 16 at Green Bay. This week they will be taking on the undefeated Tennessee Titans. Ouch!
Green Bay Packers - The Packers lost to Tennessee last weekend in overtime but they looked good even with a loss. They can't stop the run. They've had trouble running the football. Early-season injuries took a toll. They've had more failure than success in games that go down to the wire.
Head coach Mike McCarthy didn't mince words Wednesday when he was asked where he thought his team was with half of the 16-game schedule complete.
"Where do I think we are? I don't want to be rude, but we're 4-4," McCarthy said. "We're 4-4 for a reason. We haven't made plays in critical times of football games. We've been competitive in every outing this year. We've had opportunities to win those games. We did not.
"It's the details," he added, pointing to a 19-16 overtime loss at the unbeaten Tennessee Titans on Sunday. "(It's a) very good description of the things we need to do to win tight games. We have to win the close, tight games. We haven't done that this year."
Minnesota Vikings - Among Brad Childress' shortcomings since he took over as the Vikings head coach in 2006 is the fact he has gone 0-5 against the arch-rival Green Bay Packers.
That needs to change if Minnesota is going to have a real hope of winning the NFC North. Of course, the task won't be any easier if Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Allen is sidelined by a grade-3 sprain of his right shoulder. Allen did not practice again Thursday and there appears a real chance he might not be able to play.
Minnesota and Green Bay enter Sunday's game at the Metrodome tied for second in the division with 4-4 records, one-game behind the Chicago Bears.
Mary Montgomery, Gambling911.com
