Sunday Night Football Preview
Denver Broncos Vs San Francisco 49ers, 8:20 EST
Line: 49ers -1.5, 44.5
QB controversy is no more as Lance is out for the season
There is no longer a QB controversy in San Francisco after Trey Lance broke his ankle in just his second as the starter for the 49ers. The fanbase and media were fairly evenly split over who the starter should be with many actually thinking that Garoppalo gave them a better shot to win right now.
Jimmy Garoppalo nearly lead the 49ers to the Super Bowl last season coming up just 3 points short to the eventual champion Rams in the AFC conference final. It is nearly unprecedented for a QB to lose his starting status after such a successful season, but the 49er’s coaching staff felt Trey Lance offered a higher ceiling than the man that nearly got them back to the big game.
In fact, the organization nearly traded Garopalo away in the preseason to Washington for a package of draft picks. This move was only quashed after Garoppalo chose to undergo elective surgery on his shoulder. 49ers fans and coaches are now thankful this trade did not go down and that they still have a quality QB to fall back on.
Garoppalo returned seamlessly under center after Lance went down last Sunday leading the 49ers to a 27-7 win over the Seahawks.
Russell Wilson and Broncos’ offensive struggles
The expectations for the Broncos were after signing Russell Wilson in the offseason to a $246 million contract. Failing to return to the playoffs for Denver this season after a six-year draught would be a massive failure in the eyes of many.
But the Broncos scored just 16 points in each of their first two games, far shy of their expectations of being an explosive offence. Their struggles start with Russell Wilson who has just 5 yards rushing on 3 attempts through two weeks. The elusive QB running and pump-faking his way downfield has thus far been a no-show for his new team. Without his running threat, Wilson will continue to struggle to throw the ball downfield with linebackers sitting back waiting to break up his passes.
The challenges for the Broncos’ offence do not get any easier this week facing a 49ers defence who allowed only 26 points in the first two weeks, which includes a touchdown conceded on a kickoff.
My Pick: Under (44.5)
The 49ers’ defence look solid last week holding the Seahawks to just 36 yards rushing and no point on offence. That combined with the Broncos' struggles to score points and I am expecting a low-scoring game in this matchup. Look for the 49ers to run the ball early and control the game clock with short passes.
There is a large trend for low-scoring games through week 2 of the season with 68% of totals going under the number. The totals have been adjusted downwards but I am still looking for opportunities to play unders early this season.
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