New England @ San Francisco (SF -10.5, 40.5)
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New England Patriots @ San Francisco 49ers
The New England Patriots travel to the bay area this weekend for a road game against the 49ers, with both teams currently sitting at 1-2. Both have been tremendously unpredictable so far this year, for very different reasons, but it all counts the same when it comes to picking them against the spread or over/unders. Combined, they’re 2-3-1 against the spread, and 3-3 on over/unders.
The 49ers will be kicking themselves for squandering a double digit fourth quarter lead against the division rival Rams last weekend, somehow ending up with a 27-24 loss at the buzzer. Brock Purdy was 22-30 for 2929 yards and three touchdowns, while Jordan Mason put up 77 yards on the ground, and they still didn’t win.
The 49ers injury outlook might be the worst in football right now, currently missing Christian McCaffrey until at least Week 6, while also now contending with injuries to both George Kittle and Deebo Samuel, who missed the Week 3 game with the Rams. Adding further insult to injury, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave tore his pec in the loss, and will now miss the rest of the season as a result.
San Francisco is banged up early, and how well equipped they’ll be this weekend with the Patriots in town is yet to be seen. Jauan Jennings was incredible stepping up his role at the weekend, posting a stunning 11 catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns, while Jordan Mason has looked good as RB1.
Despite the adversity, the Niners are still second in passing yards per game (267.7), and rank third in yards per pass. Even though they lost against Minnesota, Brock Purdy is the best anybody has looked against that defense, and he’s been great so far this year.
That said, the 49ers defense is not what we’re used to, currently allowing 6.1 yards per play (30th), 53% completion percentage (30th), and 23 points per game (21st). They’ve certainly got work to do if they want to make it back to the Super Bowl this season.
The Patriots are very clearly rebuilding this year, with these two teams expected to be on opposite ends of the spectrum come January. New England are prepping for life with Drake Maye as their future quarterback, while the 49ers are in win now mode with a stacked roster.
Fans are quickly wondering how soon we’ll see Maye taking significant reps, with the Patriots currently dead last in yards per game, posting 246.3 through the first three outings.
The Patriots are 31st in points per game (13.0), 31st in points per play (0.219), 30th in yards per play (4.2), and 28th in redzone scoring (33%). Their receiver room has yet to organize itself, with a young group and no clear primary target. So far this year Jacoby Brissett has largely turned to Hunter Henry, who is currently the only pass catcher on the team over 100 yards receiving this season.
New England’s defense will need to show out this weekend if they want to stand a chance against the 49ers, but they’re struggling to defend the pass right now, ranking in the bottom five in nearly every pass defense stat category.
Aaron Rodgers was able to pick them apart on Thursday night football in Week 3, but we’ll have to see what that looks like for Brock Purdy, potentially missing three of his four biggest weapons for another week.
J.A. Cavalier swept his NFL Triple Crown in week 3 with The Giants, Broncos, Eagles all 3 Underdogs won "OUTRIGHT" and we smashed 3 two team parlays. He likes the card this week even more. 6-0 NFL Guarantee. 3 straight, 3 parlays. One Week NFL $99 must go 6-0 or entire NFL season free. Straight through Super Bowl
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