The San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets square off this Sunday in a Week 14 game that is in the running for worst matchup of the year. The other contenders would be Jets-Browns, 49ers-Bears, and Bears-Jaguars, but in light of Ryan Fitzpatrick’s benching and how both teams played in Week 13, this weekend provides a pretty hideous matchup.
The Jets benched Fitzpatrick after an anemic first half, bringing on Bryce Petty to play the second half. After the game, Jets head coach Todd Bowles told the media that his plan before the game was to have Petty start the final four games of the season. Whether that’s true or not is besides the point, as it looks like Petty will indeed start this weekend against the 49ers.
This decision comes as the 49ers have their own quarterback decision to make. Chip Kelly benched Colin Kaepernick in the fourth quarter against the Bears, and Blaine Gabbert finished out the game. After the game, Kelly said the coaching staff had not had any discussions yet on who would start vs. the Jets. He said the change to Gabbert was to try and get a spark in that particular game, and there are no permanent decisions.
With all that in mind, it is no surprise then that most sportsbooks are not providing a line for the game quite yet. The Westgate SuperBook and a couple others were offering the 49ers as one-point favorites heading into Monday Night Football, but for the time being it appears some of those lines are being removed. There will be a line across the board, but we will have to wait for more clarity on the quarterback situations.