The San Francisco 49ers are nine days away from their preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens, but fortunately for all of us, gambling odds are out! Yes, that's right, we already have lines on preseason action. Our friends at Odds Shark have the game as a pick 'em, while Sportsbook.ag has the 49ers as 1-point favorites over the Ravens.
First off, if you are betting on preseason action, I don't know whether to applaud you, or send you HERE. I suppose first I'll applaud you, and then I'll send you to seek help. Either way, the one notable upside to these odds is it means we're that much closer to real football.
The Hall of Fame Game is this Sunday, featuring the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills in Canton, Ohio. I'll catch the beginning of the game, but after the first few minutes, it either will become background noise, or I'll change the channel if something better is on. I enjoy football, but the Hall of Fame game gets kind of messy pretty quickly. And while I do enjoy figuring out which backups are doing what in 49ers preseason games, I could not possibly care any less about the Giants and Bills backups. Unless the finish of the game results in a reenactment of Super Bowl XXV, I'm pretty sure I won't have this game on for too long. But don't let that stop you from watching!
For the 49ers-Ravens matchup, will you watch the whole game, or will you find yourself seeing what else is on as we move into the second half? I know y'all will want to see what Alfonso Smith brings to the table, so clearly that will keep you tuned in! I imagine most people here who will be able to watch the game will be keeping track of most everything. Speaking of which, if you live outside the Bay Area, consider getting NFL.com's Preseason Live package. It provides you with every out of market preseason game. For $20 you can get all 3 of the 4 preseason games for the 49ers. Their Week 3 contest should be on national television, so you won't need the Preseason Live package.