The San Francisco 49ers face the Denver Broncos Saturday evening, and we’re back to look at the gambling line. Yes, preseason wagering might seem a bit extreme, but there is money to be made in the inefficiencies. That being said, I’m glad I did not bet on the 49ers to cover the field goal spread they were favored by last week! I got a win on the Patriots covering, but lost on the Bears getting thumped by Chicago. Win some, lose some.
This week, the Broncos are an underdog in Denver. They opened as a 3.5-point dog, but the line has climbed to 5.5 points. The 49ers quarterback situation is a mess, with Blaine Gabbert and Jeff Driskel both struggling in the passing game last week against Houston. On the other hand, the Broncos are still figuring out their quarterback situation, but they thumped the Chicago Bears.
Betting on preseason action involves plenty of unpredictability, but one fundamental is considering the backup quarterback situations. The 49ers are rolling out Blaine Gabbert, followed by Jeff Driskel and Christian Ponder, in some order. The Broncos are starting Trevor Siemian, and then will play Mark Sanchez and Paxton Lynch. As we discussed yesterday, this is a pretty awful set of quarterbacks. Is there anything we can really distinguish about this group?
Last week, the 49ers were done in largely due to a pair of early turnovers. They might not have one the game holding on to the ball, but when you have a fumble returned for a touchdown, and then fumble inside your opponents’ five, you’re kinda shooting yourself in the foot. A win really doesn’t matter in the preseason, but we’d like to see the 49ers cut down on turnovers.