No respect: 13-3 Packers have worse chance of winning Super Bowl than 9-7 Titans

Despite tying for the best record in the NFC, advanced metrics don't make a good case for the Packers compared to the other three teams in Sunday's conference title games.

January 14, 2020 at 7:51PM
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

If you look at regular season records, there appear to be three remaining NFL teams in the same class — the 49ers, Packers and Chiefs — along with one outlier underdog, the Titans.

But advanced metrics — and the betting odds heavily influenced by those metrics — have instead divided the four conference title game participants into two neat groups of two. The Packers, despite tying for the NFC's best record at 13-3, are heavy underdogs against the 13-3 49ers — more than a touchdown at 7.5 points.

And Green Bay has a worse chance to win the Super Bowl than the 9-7 Titans in some places you look.

One of those: FiveThirtyEight.com, which gives Green Bay just a 14% chance of winning the Super Bowl — less than Tennessee (17%), San Francisco (26%) and Kansas City (43%).

The Titans have already pulled two huge upsets over New England and Baltimore coming from the No. 6 seed, and Caesar's Palace has the same spread (+7.5) on the Titans/Chiefs game as it does Packers/49ers.

The 49ers routed Green Bay 37-8 during the regular season, which carries some weight. Still, it's surprising to see the Packers given so little respect.

about the writer

about the writer

Michael Rand

Columnist / Reporter

Michael Rand is the Minnesota Star Tribune's Digital Sports Senior Writer and host/creator of the Daily Delivery podcast. In 25 years covering Minnesota sports at the Minnesota Star Tribune, he has seen just about everything (except, of course, a Vikings Super Bowl).

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