Chargers vs. 49ers Point Spread: NFL Pre-Season Week 3 Odds, Prediction
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Edgar Chaput
After spending two weeks at SoFi Stadium – as both the road and home team, incidentally, the Los Angeles Chargers head up north to Santa Clara to face the San Francisco 49ers. L.A. was undone by the Saints 22-17 in Week 2, whereas the 49ers won in dramatic fashion against the Broncos, 21-20.
Check out the NFL preseason odds as they develop.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Chargers have an excellent recent history against their Californian rivals, having won four of the previous five encounters. That said, San Francisco got the better of them in 2022 in a highly anticipated Sunday night showdown, 22-16. It was a big night for now Raider Jimmy Garappolo, who outplayed Justin Herbert. At the time the result fed into the narrative that the Herbert-led Chargers couldn’t win the big games to prove their metal, although they did eventually make the playoffs later that season.
Through two preseason games, the Chargers were underdogs twice. Having lost once and won once, that puts their ATS tally at 1-1. The over has connected in both matches.
As for San Francisco, ironically they fell in the game for which they were favoured (Raiders in Week 1) but pulled out a last-second win in Week 2 when they were a home underdog to Denver. Much like L.A., the over has provided the spoils both weeks.
Los Angeles Chargers
In a bitter twist, despite that L.A. put up overall strong statistics compared to New Orleans, it was the Saints who walked away from SoFi Stadium as 22-17 victors on Sunday.
The Chargers had more first downs (19 to 13) and QB Easton Stick threw for 233 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns. However, intermittent moments of brilliance and luck bolstered those figures. By and large, the Chargers’ offence lacked a jolt, no pun intended. Stick tossed two INTs, one of which sealed the deal late for the Saints. His offensive line did few favours, as he was sacked five times. Collectively, they rushed for 120 yards, with Isaiah Spiller looking decent with 27 yards on only five carries. Third down inefficiency also sunk L.A., given their 3-for-15 showing on the night.
The club resembled the 2022 edition when things went badly. A good play or two here, then a head-scratcher there that kills a drive.
San Francisco 49ers
It took a while for the fireworks to ignite in San Francisco when the 49ers hosted the Denver Broncos, but fans were ultimately rewarded with a fun 21-20 contest that went down to the final seconds.
When the sides headed back to the locker rooms at halftime, the 6-3 Denver advantage felt typical of a preseason match. Low scoring, tentative plays on offence, and defences handling what came their way with relative ease. But things quickly changed as the game developed. Newcomer to the San Fran quarterback room Sam Darnold looked good, going 11-for-14, 109 yards and a touchdown pass to Jack Colletto. It’s been a while since we’ve had the opportunity to write positive things about Darnold, so his performance was a pleasant surprise. Then came forgotten man Trey Lance. You know, the QB San Francisco traded up for to eventually draft but who could very well be a third stringer, if not traded? Despite throwing a pick, his throws on the game-winning drive were a glimpse into what he can do when things go well. Ronnie Bell was a favourite target, grabbing seven balls for 114 yards, many after the catch.
This was a very San Francisco-type win, which was aided by the fact that the club has extraordinary depth on both sides of the ball and went into battle with two QBs who technically could be starters but happen to be backups at the moment.
LAC
SF