NFL preseason week 3 and we get a matchup between the San Diego Chargers and the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The game has a start time of 4.00 pm (Eastern) and will be televised on FOX. Current Vegas odds have the Niners listed as 6 point favorites, while the total is set at 42.
Analysis: The San Diego Chargers opened their preseason with a solid 20 point win over the Dallas Cowboys, but they to a 27 points loss on that chin at Seattle last week. The Chargers played poorly on both sides of the ball in that game as they put up just 238 yards and allowed 403 yards. Philip Rivers, was 2-of-4 for 20 yards in just one series, while his backup Kellen Clemens finished 14-of-21 for 149 yards and two scores. Keenan Allen hauled in a 13-yard TD pass in defeat. Rivers and the rest of the starters, including Antonio Gates are slated for more snaps this week.
The Niners have had a very rough preseason so far as they have gone 0-2 and have been outscored by a 57-3 count in those games. They have yet to score an offensive TD in the preseason and and have averaged just 208.5 ypg thus far. Their defense has been poor as well, allowing 371.5 ypg overall and 162 ypg on the ground thus far. This is a team that hasn't allowed more than 97 ypg on the ground in each of the last 4 years. This is a team that seems to have many issues as we head towards the season opener. The 49ers and Chargers have played each other every year since 1987 in the preseason. The 49ers lead the all-time series with a 22-20, including winning the last 4.
Pick: I will be going with the Under here. The Niners offenses has been pathetic so far and it doesn't help that they missed a couple of days of practice this week due to poor field conditions at their new stadium. The Niners promise that the field will be ready for this game, but is it in 100%. If not that could really slow the offenses down. The Niners are a power running team and I really expect them to get back to basics and work on that. Kaepernick is not a great QB and his timing with his offense has been off so far. He will probably play into the 3rd quarter in this game, but still I don't see him generating too many points and behind him may be the worst collection of backup QBs ever assembled for a pro team. The Chargers know they can throw the ball, but this team also wants to run and they will look to do that a bit more in this one, especially since the Niners have showed they can't stop the run so far. The Niner defense has been poor so far and that is unlike this team. I expect them to come out first up and be able to hold this San Diego offense in check. The Chargers defense looked really bad last week vs the Seahawks and Mike McCoy has really been riding the defense this week in practice. Should be a good game with a final in the low 30's.
-$25 of picks FREE! No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!
Stay on top of the latest odds and line moves for Football Season with our real-time odds from Las Vegas and offshore!
NFL Division Preview: NFC North
Scott Spreitzer and Steve Fezzik, from Pregame.com, break down the NFL’s NFC North Division. At the end A Free Pick by Steve Fezzik.