San Francisco 49ers vs. New England Patriots Football Picks & Odds
Written October 4, 2008 by Jason Lowry
This weekend the Patriots will look to rebound after their last game where they lost 38-13 against the Dolphins at home, as they head to San Francisco to take on the 2-2 49ers, who are also coming off a big loss in their last game, as they suffered a 31-17 setback against the Saints. Even without Tom Brady the oddsmakers still fill the Patriots are the better team, as they come in 3 point favorites over the 49ers at Sportsbook.com
The Patriots had a complete melt down against the Dolphins in their last game, but got a bye week last week to hopefully get things straightened out. Since Brady went down, so has the offensive production, as the once high flying attack is now a much more conservative attack. Quarterback Matt Cassel has done an okay job so far, but he has yet to get it going with Randy Moss, who has just 12 catches for 163 yards this season. Laurence Maroney has yet to get it going this season, and guys like LaMont Jordan, Sammy Morris, and Kevin Faulk have done a solid job feeling in so far. Unless they start letting Cassel throw the ball more, don’t expect this offense to put up big numbers much this season.
Instant Credit Card Deposits & 100% First Win Bonus!
The surprise of the Patriots Dolphins game was how bad the defense played, as they let Ronnie Brown pretty much do whatever he wanted against them, as he totaled 5 touchdowns. With the offense not able to score like the past, the defense has to step it up and play better. They are going to get a pretty tough test this weekend, as the 49ers offense is much improved under new offensive coordinator Mike Martz. Bet Patriots -3 at Sportsbook.com
After struggling to do much of anything last season on offense, the 49ers look like the niners of old, as they have the 5th best total yardage per game in the NFL at 341 yards a game. The majority of the offense is coming under new quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan and the passing game that is racking up 231 yards a game. Arnaz Battle and Isaac Bruce are both putting together pretty solid seasons at the receiver positions, but the real story is the reemergence of Frank Gore and the running game. Gore is averaging a solid 4.9 yards per carry, and continues to be threat in the passing game as well. If Gore has anywhere near the game that Ronnie Brown had for the Dolphins, then this could be a much tougher game for the Patriots than people may think. One concern is the protection around O’Sullivan as he continues to get rocked week in and week out.
With the offense picking it up this season, the defense has dropped though, as they are giving up a little over 24 points a game. While the pass defense has been great giving up just 161 yards a game, the run defense by the numbers is one of the worst giving up nearly 143 yards a game. This could be a problem this weekend, as they Patriots seem to want to run the football more now that Brady is out, so if the 49ers continue to struggle to stop the run, this could really allow the Patriots to control the game. Bet 49ers +3 at Sportsbook.com
Get the best NFL picks for this weekend, from professional handicapper Jason Lowry, who is coming of his best weekend of the season in the NFL.
For the latest odds on this game and all the others be sure to keep a close eye on the live NFL betting odds thanks to Betfirms. Also take some time to check out the free NFL picks as well.
