Buffalo at San Francisco

Time: 7:15 PM (EST), ESPN/ABC

Spread: EVEN

Total: 47

Odds c/o 5dimes

 

The San Francisco 49ers are 5-6 and currently in the last place in the NFC West.

It hosts the visiting Buffalo Bills in this game which oddsmakers have dubbed too close to call, setting the line EVEN between these two teams. The game will kick off at 7:15 PM (EST) on ESPN and ABC, with the betting total sitting at 47 total points according to NFL oddsmakers at bookmaker 5dimes.

SF

Though the 49ers are one game below .500 at 5-6, it trails Los Angeles and Seattle by just 2.5 games and still can make up that difference. San Francisco ranks middle-of-the-pack in both rushing and passing offense, and overall it manages 23.7 points per game, which ranks just No. 20 in the league. The defense has helped things stay close, limiting opponents to just 23.1 per game, and also giving the 49ers a +0.6 point differential.

The 49ers have gone to QB Nick Mullens. Mullens has posted a 46.3 and 58.7 Quarterback rating in his two most recent outings. Over that span, he has completed 48 of 73 passes, which is solid, but that mark is muddled by his three interceptions over the last two games, not to mention having been sacked four times in total. Those blemishes are largely why the 49ers struggled to find the end zone against the Saints in week 12, and though it secured victory last week 23-20 over the LA Rams, it required the touch of Robbie Gould’s 42-yard field goal to seal the victory.

The backfield has had some success, though. Lead rusher Raheem Mostert averages 5.2 yards-per-carry and he has 346 yards and two touchdowns. No. 2 back Jerick McKinnon leads the team in carries (80) but he is No. 2 in yardage (315). McKinnon also leads the 49ers in touchdown runs, with five of the team’s 16 to his credit. The top receiver has been the 49’ers tight end, George Kittle. Kittle has 474 yards on 37 catches and two touchdowns. Lead wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk leads in touchdowns, and he is just 28 yards behind Kittle’s yardage total with 446. The 49ers have 10 players with at least 100 receiving yards this season, showing quite a bit of depth in its core.

BUF

The Buffalo Bills are 8-3 and in first place in the AFC East. The Bills boast the league’s eighth-best pass offense at 268 yards per game, while still generating a respectable 104.4 on the ground. Despite that, its scoring lingers somewhat at 27.2 points per contest (No. 10) and it also has a middle of the pack defense, allowing 25.6 per game. The result is a win differential of just +1.6 despite its stellar record.

The Bills also have won four of its last five, with wins over the Jets, Patriots, Chargers, and Seahawks.

Those are two big powered wins, especially the 44-34 beating it gave Seattle.

Buffalo has been dominant with Josh Allen fueling 304.6 yards per game on 68.8 percent passing. Allen has 22 touchdown passes with just eight interceptions, and 22 sacks in 11 games are not horrible either, though it could bear improving at least.

Allen has rushed for another 311 yards on 81 attempts and leads the Bills with six rushing touchdowns. Featured backfield option Devin Singletary has rushed for 483 yards but has just one touchdown.

The running back and QB are nearly tied in first downs (31, 32), but Singletary has to step up his big playmaking. He averages just 4.4 yards-per-attempt and has broken open for very few big plays this season. Zack Moss averages 4.2 per-carry on 68 attempts as the third-rush option behind Allen and Singletary.

Stefon Diggs has been greedy for yards at receiver, with 110 targeted passes landing in 80 catches for a team-best 945 yards. He has four touchdowns and 40 first downs, which ties for the lead and leads.

Tight end Tyler Kroft has just 12 receptions but three have also been for touchdowns. Cole Beasley is No. 2 in yardage at 667 yards and ranks No. 2 in first downs with 36. The pass offense really is dominant, but the Bills must improve its overall efficacy and find more touchdowns. Getting the chains moved makes for a very good offense, but a great one is made by capitalizing in the red zone effectively. The Bills still have plenty of improvement to make there.