San Francisco 49ers vs New England Patriots Betting Picks, Odds, Lines & Predictions
Three years after being traded, Jimmy Garoppolo returns to Foxborough for the first time to lead his San Francisco 49ers (3-3 SU, 3-3 ATS) against the Patriots (2-3 SU, 2-3 ATS) are coming of a home loss to the Broncos. Both teams seem to be better than their records indicate, but health issues with some of the most important players have them near the bottom of their respective divisions.
San Francisco 49ers vs New England Patriots Betting Line Movement
The Patriots are favored in this matchup and have a -2.5 points advantage as oddsmakers at the pay per head bookies find it hard to believe that Belichick would lose two consecutive games on home turf. The total hovered around 44 all week before settling at 44.5.
Thoughts On The San Francisco 49ers Beating The New England Patriots
The San Francisco 49ers managed to recover from two tough home losses and won the important divisional matchup against the Los Angeles Rams last week. Garoppolo put in his best performance of the season and will be motivated to continue in a similar way against the team that traded him. The 49ers still resemble the hospital more than a football team with seventeen players out and several more questionable, so to get something at Gillette the backups will have to come through once more. The absence of DEs Nick Bosa and Dee ford is particularly hurtful as they would have been instrumental in stopping run-happy Cam Newton.
New England’s pass defense is nowhere near the level of the past seasons, so Garoppolo’s revenge game could see him amass a decent number of fantasy points. RB Raheem Mostert is questionable after the Rams’ injury and it would open more chances for young undrafted Jamycal Hasty who look decent finishing the game last week. WR Deebo Samuel was solid in the last week’s matchup against Jalen Ramsey and will face another excellent defender in Stephone Gilmore this Sunday. Still, as Belichick will probably dedicate most of his defensive schemes to stopping George Kittle, Samuel should have plenty of space to work with.
Thoughts On The New England Patriots Beating The San Francisco 49ers
The Patriots could be forgiven for their dud of a performance against the Broncos given that they only had two practices in sixteen days before the game due to the positive Covid-19 testing for Cam Newton and Stephon Gilmore. However, they still do have plenty of issues . The defense is a lot worse than last year, the receiving core lacks the playmaking ability, and the depleted offensive line relies mostly on rookies. The one good thing in the Denver defeat was Newton’s running as he won 76 yards on the ground and should be even more ready this week ass he fully recovers from Covid.
While the rushing touchdowns are a staple for Newton this year, his poor passing form makes his somewhat unreliable fantasy pick especially in the low-scoring affair that we expect this game to be. The receivers don’t instill much confidence either and the only viable option may be the RB James White who led the team in targets last week and at least has a high floor in terms of points.
San Francisco 49ers vs New England Patriots Betting Pick: Under 44.5
All the points we mentioned above point to a low-scoring game. Both teams have been better on the defensive side of the ball this season and that will most likely continue on Sunday.
