San Francisco 49ers vs. Denver Broncos, Wembley Stadium, London England
Sunday, October 31, 2010, 1:00 pm EST, TV: CBS
Opening Line: 49ers Pick’em
Current Line: 49ers -1.5
Opening Total: 42
Current Total: 42
Money Line: 49ers -125 / Broncos +105
This certainly is not the matchup the NFL envisioned being played in London on Sunday when they originally scheduled this game between the Denver Broncos (2-5) and San Francisco 49ers (1-6). Instead of a pairing that features a couple of up-and-coming young teams fighting for division titles against each other like they had hoped, the fans at Wembley Stadium will see two squads simply looking for some type of spark that might turn their season around.
Of the two teams, the 49ers (-1.5 on the current NFL point spread) are definitely the bigger disappointment thus far since they were expected to win the NFC West. San Francisco head coach Mike Singletary still believes his team has a shot to rebound and make the playoffs, but whether the players and management think that is a legitimate possibility remains to be seen. Singletary could be among the first coaches fired after the season if he does not see some type of improvement down the stretch.
The main concern for the 49ers right now is at the quarterback position, where former Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith will make his third career NFL start. Regular starter Alex Smith separated his shoulder in a 23-20 loss at Carolina last week and backup David Carr did not impress Singletary when he entered the game, throwing for 67 yards and an interception.
It is hard to argue which was the worse loss, San Francisco’s setback to the previously winless Panthers or Denver’s 59-14 drubbing at home by division rival Oakland. The Broncos suffered their third loss in a row and seem to be taking a similar path to last year when they started the season strong at 6-0 only to drop eight of 10 and miss the playoffs. Both paths started with brutal losses at Baltimore and have followed them home, where they have dropped two straight.
Maybe a change of scenery along with the time change will help both teams get back on track, as each will obviously get that chance here by leaving the country. Denver has been a notoriously slow starter this season, scoring a league-low seven points in the first quarter. The weather might also be a factor, as Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton has said his team is preparing for rain.
Denver and San Francisco have both failed to cover their last three games, but each team has been involved in high-scoring affairs lately. The OVER is 4-0 in the last four games overall for the Broncos and 4-2 in the last six for the 49ers. For the free nfl pick gotta go with Denver +2 in this contest as we are expecting a nice bounce back effort from the Broncos. You can also get more free winners via our free NFL picks page via our newsletter. While you are there you should know that Maddux Sports is on a 67% NFL picks run for members and has 5 solid winners lined up for Sunday including a rare 20 unit play!
