Football Line – California Battle Closes Out NFL Preseason

The San Francisco 49ers appear to be living up to their hype and the NFL Football Line currently has the 3 ½ point home favorites against their State nemesis, the San Diego Chargers. Both teams will likely play it safe in this game, giving the backups some extended playing time.

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (1-2) vs. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (3-0)
Thursday September 2, 10:00 PM
Candlestick Park
San Francisco, California

Football Line:

San Diego: + 3 ½ (-110)
San Francisco: - 3 ½ (-110)

Moneyline: San Diego +160: San Francisco -190

Total: 35 ½ points: Over (110), Under (110)

The San Diego Chargers have gone 1-2 S/U and ATS so far in the preseason and now they have to travel to Candlestick Park to take on the unbeaten 49ers. The team has been unspectacular so far in the preseason and with the starters likely to be held out of the contest, expect much of the same.

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Philip Rivers, who is 31 of 48 for 354 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, will likely sit and let Billy Volek and Jonathan Crompton battle it out for the primary backup role. Starring running back Ryan Matthews will also likely be limited as will Darren Sproles, leaving Mike Tolbert, Jacob Hester and Marcus Mason to receive the bulk of the carries. They are a major step down from the starters so expectations certainly have to be tempered for this game.

With the Vincent Jackson situation, the only sure things are Malcolm Floyd and Legedu Naanee in the receiving corp. Craig Davis, Josh Reed and Jeremy Williams will be out to prove that they are worthy of a roster spot.

Defensively, expect the Chargers to play it safe. Shawne Merriman will sit out the game nursing an Achilles injury and the rest of the first team may see only limited action. The Chargers have some work to do on defense if they want to reach the promise land this season.

The Football Line has the San Francisco 49ers as 3 ½ point home favorites in this game and rightfully so. They are 3-0 S/U and ATS so far this season despite limited contributions from Frank Gore and underwhelming play of Alex Smith. David Carr and Nate Davis are in a heated battle for the primary backup quarterback role and should see the majority of the snaps.

Anthony Dixon has been a revelation in the preseason out of the 49ers backfield and with Brian Westbrook not quite ready to go, Dixon could win himself the primary backup role to Frank Gore. There is a chance that Dixon could be the best player on the field on Thursday night and be the difference in the game.

Other roster battles include the full back role, at wide receiver, offensive and defensive line starters and especially the corners that have been less than spectacular so far.

Football Line Outlook:

San Francisco has been good, really good! They still have a number of question marks and should be motivated for a good showing on Thursday night. While the focus for the Chargers will be to remain healthy, focus for the 49ers will still be to determine who makes the team in starting and backup roles. I like the San Francisco momentum and the fact that there are many players still out to make the roster to prevail in the final tune-up game for both teams.

Football Line Pick: San Francisco 49ers – 3 ½