GB vs. Niners Game:
1. My numbers project a 25.8 to a 19.6 score. With the Niners winning by 6.18 points. The line is 7.5. When crediting 3 points to the home team (generally the case) plus the past game, the spread increases to 9.18 points. The 7.5 spread, obviously, falls nicely between the two end points.
2. This game will be decided by the run game. Green Bay has the 16th best passing offense vs the Niners #1 passing defense. The Niners have the 3rd best running offense vs. Green Bay's 23rd ranked running defense. These two matchup are the widest differences. GB's going to have to run the ball, because they're not going to be able to throw it much. And Green Bay's going to have to find a way to stop the run.
3. GB generally is 58/42 pass to run. The Niners are generally 48/52 pass to run. GB's going to have to bring that pass ratio down to 50/50 or 45/55 in order to keep the niners pass rushers off the field (mainly Dee Ford, who is mostly a specialist) and for the Niners LBs to respect the play action.
4. The over/under is 46.5, which represents a 2.4% premium from the predicted total (see #1) of 45.4. With the 3 point credit, it is -4.1% less than the adjusted total of 48.4.
My prediction: Niners win. I think they'll beat the Pack by a touchdown (likely more), so if I were playing, I would buy the spread down to 6.5 in order to account for backdoor covers, Rodgers hero ball, or something crazy happening. The safer bet, barring crazy turnovers, is the under at 46.5. Mostly because I believe the Pack will need to run the ball more than usual to win.