Chargers vs. San Francisco 49ers: bets, lines and spades

Charging device bought ourselves some good will and a little pillow survive the Atlanta Falcons 20-17 going out bye, but it wasn’t exactly the kind of performance you’d like to see two weeks before training. A similar effort this week will result in a defeat at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football, the outcome of which was suggested by the game betting line.

Chargers at San Francisco 49ers (-7, 45.5)

Just imagine what that line would have looked like if the 49ers were running the game successfully this season. The Chargers are considered one of the worst defensive players in the NFL, though it’s not like they’ve done much better passing. Now they’re drawing the 49ers offense after a farewell week, which has given offensive evil genius Kyle Shanahan extra time to figure out how to include more of Christian McCaffrey in the play.

McCaffrey scored 149 rushing yards + receiving in a Week 8 win over the Rams and also had a touchdown pass. It’s no surprise that he didn’t really consider the game plan against the Chiefs, as he played 23 snaps after the midweek trade. He opened up completely against the Rams and ended up turning the game around, touching the ball in 27 of his 43 snaps.

The Chargers have one of the best playmakers in the game to contend with defensively, and will once again be missing offensive playmakers. Keenan Allen has been out of training for a week with a hamstring injury and Mike Williams is sidelined with a high ankle sprain. Give the Chargers credit for finding a way to beat the Falcons, but Atlanta has one of the worst defensive systems in the league. The 49ers are in the top 10 or top 5 defenses in just about every metric.

Justin Herbert threw 43 times against the Falcons, and the Chargers were still only gaining five yards per game. Josh Palmer had eight catches for 106 yards after coming off concussion protocol. Austin Eckeler had 71 yards per 21 touchdowns, averaging 3.4 yards per carry and per reception. It’s hard to rate Herbert this season between a rib injury and the loss of his skilled players, but this offense is the opposite of the dynamic. The team’s longest touchdown this season is 23 yards.

With a diluted group of personnel this week, the 49ers are about to put on a tougher test than the Falcons. It seems unlikely that the Chargers’ defense will hold up. Last week, Atlanta ran for 201 yards on just 35 carries. What will the 49ers do with a fully involved McCaffrey? Not to mention Jimmy Garoppolo and lines that were surprisingly good. This is a bad matchup for Chargers at full health. And they can’t even talk about it.

Pick: 49ers-7

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