The San Francisco 49ers are back home for their most winnable game of the final quarter of the season. The 49ers face the New York Jets in Week 14 at Levi’s Stadium, with both teams coming off ugly Week 13 losses. The 49ers lost to the Bears 26-6 while the Jets were pummeled by the Colts 41-10 on Monday Night Football. The 49ers enter the game at 1-11, while the Bears sit at 3-9. A loss all but assures the 49ers of a top-two pick, while a win makes things a little more interesting with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The 49ers entered the week as a 2.5-point favorite, with public money edging their way. This line is historic to a certain extent. The only other time in recent memory that a 1-11 team was a favorite came in 1993. The 1-11 New England Patriots were facing the also 1-11 Cincinnati Bengals. The Patriots were a 5.5-point favorite, but failed to cover in a 7-2 win. We need that kind of final score in this game.
The 49ers have settled on Colin Kaepernick to continue starting, while the Jets are sending out Bryce Petty. I think we see Colin Kaepernick bounce back in this one, with decent weather and an atrocious Jets defense. I do think the 49ers can find a way to screw this one up (or succeed in securing draft position, depending on how you view a loss to the Jets), but I just can’t see it happening. The 49ers are not good, but man, these Jets, on a short week, with a second year quarterback making the second start of his career? Even this 49ers has to be able to beat a team like this.
Here are some picks and predictions around the media.
SB Nation: 6 out of 8
ESPN: 6 out of 10
CBS Sports: 6 out of 8
FOXSports.com: 3 out of 6
USA Today: 5 out of 5
Elliott Harrison, NFL.com: Jets 20-17
Dennis Manoloff, The Plain Dealer: 49ers 17-13
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: 49ers 16-13
Pro Football Talk: MDS 49ers 24-10, Florio 49ers 13-9