Brad Rempel-Imagn Images/Sipa USA
New England Patriots vs San Francisco 49ers: Both teams are at the bottom of their divisions
The New England Patriots are visiting the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday.
Can the Patriots beat the odds?
The New England Patriots are coming off a terrible performance last week in a 24-3 loss to the New York Giants. Drake Maye finished 4 for 8 for 22 yards and was sacked twice, and Patriots coach Jerod Mayo may consider making a change. The week before, the Patriots lost 23-20 in overtime to the Seattle Seahawks. The Patriots’ only win of the season came in the season opener when they beat the Cinncinati Bengals 16-10.
The Niners need to step up
The San Francisco 49ers are 1-2 going into Week 4 of the season. They started with a 32-19 win over the New York Jets at home. Two visits were next on the schedule and the Niners lost both of those games. First, they failed 23-17 to the Minnesota Vikings and then lost 27-24 to the Los Angeles Rams last week despite taking a 14-0 first quarter lead. Jauan Jennings set career highs with 11 catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns for the 49ers. Brock Purdy passed for 292 yards.
Betting Trends
The 49ers are 10-5 SU in their last 15 games overall, 4-2 SU in their last 6 home games against the Patriots, and 12-6 SU in their last 18 games played in September. They are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games overall, 1-7 ATS in their last 8 home games and 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games played in Week 4. San Francisco has played over the total point line in 4 of their last 5 games overall, 6 of their last 9 games against teams from the AFC, and 5 of their last 6 games against teams from the AFC East. The Patriots are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games overall, 4-8 SU in their last 12 games against the Niners, 2-4 SUI in their last 6 visits to San Francisco, and 0-6 SU in their last 6 games against teams from the NFC. They are 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games against the Niners and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games on the road. New England has played under the total point line in 4 of their last 5 games against teams from the NFC West and 4 of their last 5 games played in September.
Prediction and Conclusion
It is hard to believe that these two teams are going into Week 4 with the same 1-2 record. After making it to the Super Bowl last season, the 49ers had a difficult start to this one. Trent Williams and Brandon Aiyuk were out of training camp practices as their contract negotiations did not go smoothly, the first-round pick Ricky Pearsall got shot nine days before the season opener, and Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle are yet to play this season. The visit of the Patriots looks like a great opportunity for the Niners to end the two-game losing streak. New England has not major expectations with the new coach this season. Interestingly, they won both games in San Francisco, even though it’s been a while since they were at the Bay for the last time. It is hard to imagine that the Niners can lose three straight, but the given spread of -10.5 points is a little too big given the circumstances. The Patriots have nothing to lose in this one, so we go with them to stay close and cover the spread.