The San Francisco 49ers face the Minnesota Vikings in eight days, kicking off the season with the second half of the Monday Night Football double-header. The 49ers will finally start to get some answers after a tumultuous offseason unlike anything we have seen in recent memory. That has led to a big swing in Vegas, where the 49ers have gone from 4.5-point favorites to 2.5-point underdogs, according to OddsShark.com.
The 49ers face a Vikings team that has some intriguing talent, and is a dark horse for a lot of analysts. Teddy Bridgewater enters his second season, the team added Mike Wallace, and of course, they get Adrian Peterson back. On defense, they added cornerback Terence Newman in free agency, and drafted CB Trae Waynes and ILB Eric Kendricks. They have to put the talent together, but they could make some progress.
The line opened at -3.5 back in April after the 2015 schedule was released. I had heard a lot of money was going in on Minnesota, but I did not realize it was this much. Caesar's Palace had the 49ers installed at -4 as late as early June, but lines are changing significantly. I would have thought all the offseason moves would have done it, but it seems like as things have settled down in Minnesota, and as the 49ers dealt with Aldon Smith's release, things just got crazier with the line.
I am not surprised people are betting heavily against the 49ers. The negative publicity around the team is pretty significant, and that has to be influencing bettors quite a bit. I would like to try avoid betting on the 49ers, but it is certainly tempting. That first week is always a tough one to figure out, and given the 49ers turnover, it makes it all the more difficult.