The San Francisco 49ers opened this week as an underdog to the Chicago Bears, with the line ranging between four and 5.5 points, according to Odds Shark. The line came down a little after it opened, and the decision to move Jimmy Garoppolo into the starting lineup dropped it further.
The line currently sits at three points almost entirely across the board. Looking at the line history linked above, it looks like the line dropped either 0.5 points or a full point Tuesday evening when the 49ers announced the switch to Jimmy Garoppolo.
A three-point line can mean a lot of things, but the home team is often given three points right off the bat. Sometimes it can be 2.5 points, but it’s right around a field goal. That would suggest this game is viewed as basically even on a neutral field, and the 49ers would be roughly a three-point favorite if the game was at Levi’s Stadium.
I am not really sure what to make of this line. The 49ers are 5-6 against the spread this season, while sitting at 1-10 straight up. I am trying to decide if it is worth grabbing the 49ers at +3 for my weekly SuperContest picks, and I am just not sure right now. I have no interest in picking the Bears, in which case I would just avoid the game entirely. But considering my season has fallen apart, I might as well make a pick on this one. We have three snaps on which to judge Garoppolo, so it’s mostly a mystery. But I’m intrigued by it!