The San Francisco 49ers continue their dogged pursuit of a top two or three draft pick, with a tough Week 11 matchup against the New England Patriots. A week after the 49ers were a 13.5-point road underdog to the Arizona Cardinals, they are getting 13 points at home against New England. It is the highest home spread against the 49ers since 2005.
The Patriots suffered a rather surprising home loss to the Seattle Seahawks last week, and Tom Brady was held without a passing touchdown. Brady is facing off against his hometown team for the second time, and for the first time in the Bay Area. He will have a lot of family in attendance, and I have to think will be looking to put on a show. Rain is expected on Sunday, so that could slow things a bit, but considering the weather Brady has played in before, I just don’t see rain and very light winds creating many real issues for the Patriots quarterback.
It should surprise nobody that there are no predictions of a 49ers upset. You can find some predictions at CBS Sports of the 49ers covering the big spread, but no wins. I’d be curious if anybody can find anyone of any sort of repute willing to go way out on that limb.
Here are some picks and predictions around the media.
SB Nation: 0 out of 10
ESPN: 0 out of 10
CBS Sports: 0 out of 8
FOXSports.com: 0 out of 6
USA Today: 0 out of 5
Elliott Harrison, NFL.com: Patriots 37, 49ers 13
Dennis Manoloff, The Plain Dealer: Patriots 35, 49ers 10
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: Patriots 49, 49ers 24
Pro Football Talk: MDS Patriots 31-10, Florio Patriots 45-23