Carson Wentz, Aaron Rodgers duel to keep hope alive

At the end of September, the Philadelphia Eagles and rookie quarterback Carson Wentz made for one of the NFL’s hottest stories.

The Philadelphia hype has cooled with the weather. The Eagles are 5-5 after their 3-0 start, and Wentz has regressed to pedestrian passing numbers. He appears to have a bright future, but with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions, he’s probably not going to the Pro Bowl or leading his team to the playoffs this season.

The Green Bay Packers, who attracted Super Bowl hype in early September, are about to be put on ice in the midst of a four-game losing streak.

The Packers are 4-6, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ bold statement that his team “can run the table” sounds more like a joke than a serious prediction. Rodgers has passed for 25 touchdowns, but he’s been a little off all season, and injuries have turned Green Bay’s defense in the wrong direction.

One team will exit Monday night’s game with a better feeling, even if it’s a false sense of hope. The Eagles are 4½-point favorites over the Packers — up from 3½ on Sunday night — and the total is 47.

William Hill sports book director Nick Bogdanovich said the line move is a “combination of a lot of things,” including parlay liability rolling over from Sunday that is tied to the Eagles.

“The Packers have looked so bad that people want to bet against them, and it’s probably sharp money, too,” Bogdanovich said. “We need the Packers in the worst way.”

The public has cashed in with favorites lately. Week 12 will go down as a loser for most Las Vegas books. Including the Thanksgiving games, favorites are 13-2 straight up and 7-7-1 against the spread.

Green Bay’s depleted defense allowed 42, 47, 31 and 33 points in the past four games, so the pressure is on Rodgers to put points on the board. Philadelphia is 4-0 straight up and ATS at home while allowing 9.5 points per game.

I’m not going to predict a Packers win, but I’ll make a small bet on Rodgers to keep it close and cover an inflated line.

Pick: Packers (+4½)

Contact sports betting reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. Follow @mattyoumans247 on Twitter.