49ers installed as 5.5 point underdogs to Broncos

The San Francisco 49ers welcome the Denver Broncos to town this coming Sunday, and will once again be home underdogs. The line opened as high as Broncos -6 at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark, but has settled around 5.5 points at most sportsbooks.

A week ago, the Westgate SuperBook unveiled their Week 14 lookahead lines, and they had the 49ers as 4.5-point underdogs. The 49ers thumping at the hands of the Seahawks coupled with the Broncos road win over the Bengals gave it a modest bump, but nothing drastic. Early money is coming in primarily on the Broncos, but line movement will be limited the rest of the week.

The Broncos have quietly turned into one of the more impressive 6-6 teams in the league. They entered Week 13 ranked No. 6 by Football Outsiders in total efficiency. Their offense ranks No. 9 overall thanks to a dominant ground game led by Phillip Lindsay. Their defense ranks No. 3 overall thanks to a ridiculous pass defense.

Suffice to say, this is not going to be an easy matchup for the 49ers. The Broncos have won three straight over the Chargers, Steelers, and Bengals. The 49ers’ best chance at an upset will be forcing Case Keenum to make mistakes, and getting a big effort from their own ground game. If Matt Breida’s ankle sidelines him, the pressure will be on Jeff Wilson.

Can the 49ers cover the 5.5-point spread? If you can’t see the poll below, click here.