The San Francisco 49ers are entering Week 3 a 6.5-point underdog against the Kansas City Chiefs, and the public consensus is very much for Patrick Mahomes and the red-hot Chiefs.
Sportsbook operators offer up details on who the public is betting on in each matchup. Our friends at OddsShark track this information for an assortment of online bookmakers. As of close of business Thursday night, 60 percent of money was on the Chiefs. Meanwhile, the folks at William Hill have operate over 100 sportsbooks. In their assessment as of Thursday evening, 88 percent of tickets bet on this game were for the Chiefs, and 87 percent of money bet on this game was for the Chiefs. This is the most popular game in terms of money wagered, and second most popular in terms of number of bets placed.
This is not exactly shocking news. The Chiefs offense is on fire, and is showing no signs of slowing down. This week, they face a 49ers defense that has been shaky through the first two weeks. DeForest Buckner, Fred Warner, and Richard Sherman are among the standouts, but there has been too much inconsistency at all three levels of the defense. The Chiefs defense is a disaster right now, but they are simply able to win shootouts thus far.
Each week, we have our FanPulse survey, and it includes a vote on the point spread. We provide the spread and ask voters whether they think the 49ers will win or lose and by how much. You’re welcome to join in our weekly polling — sign up HERE to join FanPulse.
This week, 49ers fans on averaged voted that the team would lose to the Chiefs by 6 points. By comparison, Chiefs fans averaged out that they would win the game by 12 points. Both sides projected a win for the Chiefs, but 49ers fans projected San Francisco to cover the spread.
My vote was for the 49ers losing by 13 points. The defense looked decent enough against Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings, but Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are a whole different beast. They bring speed that I don’t know if any defense will be able to consistently match up this year.
Do you think the 49ers win or lose, and by how much?