San Francisco 49ers at Carolina Panthers, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Sunday, October 24, 2010, 1:00 pm EST, TV: FOX
Opening Line: 49ers -3
Current Line: 49ers -2.5
Opening Total: 34.5
Current Total: 35.5
Money Line: 49ers -150 / Panthers +130
The San Francisco 49ers (1-5) know what the winless Carolina Panthers (0-5) are going through and will look to win consecutive games for the first time this season when they visit Charlotte on Sunday. The Panthers and Buffalo Bills are the only NFL teams without a victory this season after the 49ers (-2.5 on the current NFL odds) defeated the Oakland Raiders 17-9 last week.
Carolina and Buffalo are both coming off bye weeks with the Bills facing a much tougher matchup at Baltimore to avoid an 0-6 start. The Panthers have faced San Francisco just three times over the last decade but have covered all three while winning two of those games straight-up. The last time came in 2007 when they beat the 49ers 31-14 as a 3-point home favorite.
San Francisco got off to another slow start before beating the Raiders, totaling just a field goal in the first half before scoring two touchdowns after intermission. Quarterback Alex Smith threw scoring passes to Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis and did not throw an interception in a game for the first time this season after throwing at least two in four of the first five games.
49ers running back Frank Gore rushed for a season-high 149 yards on 25 carries against Oakland and now gets the opportunity to go up against a Carolina defense that has surrendered 134.4 yards per game on the ground. In fact, Chicago’s Matt Forte rushed for a season-high 166 yards against the Panthers in their last game, resulting in a 23-6 win for the Bears two weeks ago.
Defensively, San Francisco will try to shut down an offense that has averaged a league-low 10.4 points per game this season. The Panthers did not deal running backs DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart or wide receiver Steve Smith at the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday, so they will at least have those weapons for the rest of this season.
However, Carolina head coach John Fox has decided to go back to veteran quarterback Matt Moore as the starter over rookie Jimmy Clausen. Moore turned the ball over six times in the first two games before getting benched in favor of Clausen, who has thrown three interceptions and fumbled seven times (losing three) in the other three games.
The Panthers have managed to cover only one of their five games so far this year (a 16-14 loss at New Orleans in Week 4), and the UNDER has cashed in each of their last four. The OVER is 3-0 in the last three games against the 49ers, with Carolina averaging 30 points per game.
Now that you have read this sports betting preview, check out the NFL odds on all the games and compare the best lines at multiple sportsbooks. Or if you are looking for some betting advice we currently are looking at 5 NFL football picks for the week. Currently on a 67% pick run in pro football this should be another wallet stuffing week.
