NFL Football Betting – New England Patriots at San Francisco 49ers
The New England Patriots (2-1 SU, 1-2 ATS), smarting from their first loss of the season, will try to bounce back on Sunday when they take on the San Francisco 49ers (2-2 SU & ATS) in NFL action that is slated to kick off at 4:15 PM ET at Candlestick Park (natural turf) in San Francisco.
In the BetUS NFL football betting odds, the Patriots are listed as a three-point favorite, with a posted total of 41 points.
BetUS NFL betting odds: NEW ENGLAND -3, Total 41
NOTABLE STAT: Patriots have scored 16.3 points per game
KEY NFL FOOTBALL BETTING TREND: New England is 1-8 ATS in its last nine games
Here are some NFL betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* NE has covered one of its last nine games
* NE has won 20 of its last 22 games SU
* NE has played five of its last six games UNDER the total
* NE has covered 14 of its last 19 road games
* NE has won its last nine road games SU
* NE has played five of its last seven road games OVER the total
* SF has covered five of its last 15 games
* SF has lost 13 of its last 18 games SU
* SF has played four of its last five games UNDER the total
* SF has covered four of its last 12 home games
* SF has lost six of its last nine home games SU
* SF has played five of its last six home games UNDER the total
Also…
* SF has won six of the last eight meetings SU
* Four of the last five meetings have gone UNDER the total
Will this be your grandson’s New England Patriots? A team that averaged all those points last year (36.8 per game, to be exact) is now tallying twenty points LESS? They’ve only played three games, but the Pats have yet to reach 20 points, and last time out against Miami the defense showed that it might have experienced some slippage, as it gave up scoring drives of 62, 74, 77, 79 and 79 yards to the Dolphins, who shell-shocked this team with a spread formation out of Houston Nutt’s old Arkansas playbook.
Yes, that was a surprise to Bill Belichick, but there is nothing surprising about Mike Martz’s offense; you remember, the one Belichick’s defense stopped cold in Super Bowl 36, when the Pats prevented St. Louis from winning its second Super Bowl in three years. This time, less capable people are handling it, although we don’t want to put down J.T. O’Sullivan (61%, 4 TD’s, 3 INT’s), who has gotten Martz and head coach Mike Nolan into the winner’s circle much quicker than Alex Smith or Shawn Hill would have. But Martz’s scheme does not protect the quarterback that well, and O’Sullivan has been sacked 19 times already.
Matt Cassel is not doing spectacular things in place of Tom Brady. But he is not to blame for New England’s inability to slow down Miami two weeks ago. Cassel has completed two-thirds of his passes, with only one interception. And even though the Patriots can’t play long ball like they used to, he can keep them in games if the defense does its job.
New England has covered only one of its last nine games, but most of that was when they were grossly overpriced, the residue from the offensive onslaught they provided in the first half of the ’07 season. The dynamic here is intriguing; the Pats have won nine straight road games, 20 out of 22 games overall, were humiliated last time they played, and had a bye week to work on some things and prepare something for Martz to chew on. Plus, they are. after all, the defending AFC champs. If they don’t come out very charged up, I’d be shocked. And as you know, Bill Belichick is hardly a guy who thrives on shock.
Lay the points with the under-priced Pats, the three-point favorite in the BetUS NFL football betting odds.
