San Francisco 49ers at New England Patriots NFL Preview and Odds
The San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots together have accounted for eight Super Bowl wins and 12 Super Bowl appearances, yet oddly enough, they have not played each other in the big game. This may change at the end of this season however as both teams are playing great football.
History
The 49ers oddly made a change a few weeks ago at starting quarterback even though they were winning games. Colin Kaepernick took over for Alex Smith when Smith got a concussion and played so well in his absence that coach Jim Harbaugh stuck with him.
The St. Louis Rams seem to be the only team that gives the 49ers a problem. In the last seven games, the Niners have won five. The only other two games were with the rams in which they tied one and lost in the final minute of overtime in the other.
The 49ers have beaten the Green Bay Packers on the road, the New York Jets on the road 34-0, the Arizona Cardinals on the road 24-3 and the New Orleans Saints on the road. They are currently 9-3-1, one and a half games behind the Atlanta Falcons for the top seed in the NFC playoff picture. They are a half game ahead of the Packers for the second spot. The second spot is important because it gives a team a first round bye and a home game in the second round. So this game is huge for the 49ers.
The Patriots are on a similar roll. They are now 10-3 and have won seven in a row. New England is coming off a 42-14 whipping of the top seeded (for now) Houston Texans on Monday Night Football this past week. Quarterback Tom Brady is paying as well as he has ever played.
Right now the Texans are 11-2, with the Patriots and Denver Broncos at 10-3. The Patriots have wins over both teams, so they own the tie breakers. As of now, they have the second seed in the AFC, but they too really need to win this game. A loss with a Broncos win slips them to third place and if the Ravens also win would put them tied with Baltimore. Baltimore has the tie breaker over the Patriots.
Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are the top two quarterbacks in the AFC statistically. Both are having outstanding seasons and their stats are nearly identical. Brady has thrown for 3833 yards and 29 touchdowns to an amazing four interceptions. Manning has 3812 yards with 30 touchdowns, but has thrown 10 interceptions.
Stevan Ridley has 1082 yards rushing while Wes Welker is once again Brady's favorite target. He has 1116 yards receiving.
Frank Gore has 1035 yards rushing for the 49ers. Michael Crabtree is the leading receiver with 761 yards. Kaepernick has over 1000 yards passing but also has 351 rushing yards. He has run for five touchdowns and thrown for three while splitting time with Smith. Smith has over 1700 passing yards to lead the team.
Our Pick
5Dimes has the 49ers at +5.5 -110 or +210. The Patriots are -5.5 -110 or -250. Over/under is 46. We will go with the 49ers +5.5 and the over.
This is a game we may see again in February down in Miami.
