49ers vs. Patriots spread: Line already moving up

A day after the New England Patriots laid thorough waste to the Houston Texans, it should be no surprise that the 49ers-Patriots line is already moving north in favor of the Patriots. The Patriots opened Sunday night as three point favorites, before their MNF game. Normally the line waits for both teams to play, but for some reason it did not this time. The opening line seemed a bit low even before last night, given that the home team automatically gets three points.

After last night's beatdown, the Patriots are now ranging from four to six point favorites. One of my favorite sites for basic odds is Scores & Odds. They provide a running tally of the changing line. They also are showing the highest line thus far, at six points. I don't think the line will go much higher, but let's just say I would not be surprised if it nudged up over a full touchdown difference.

The Patriots looked awfully good last night, but while they are a huge test for the 49ers, I do think the 49ers can bring a bit more to the table than whatever it was the Texans brought. It sounds like the Patriots were playing particularly angry given how the Texans were talking about this game as the biggest in their history.

I don't think the Patriots will be coming into this game particularly over-confident, but there is always the chance of a modest let-down. Or maybe I'm just hoping for a let-down! I have to think this game will be much more competitive than Patriots-Texans. The big question will of course be if the offense can show some consistency, but the defense will still have its hands full with the Patriots offense. The 49ers D can hang with this group, but that doesn't make it any less of a challenge.