It’s been a bizarre year for the San Francisco 49ers, going back to last year’s playoffs. Even though Jimmy Garoppolo led the 49ers to the NFC Championship, the team decided to move on to Trey Lance as the starting quarterback. Unable to trade Garoppolo in the off-season, the 49ers lost Lance for the season in Week 1, and Garoppolo took over, guiding the team to the top of the NFC West. However, Jimmy G suffered a foot fracture, giving the reins to Brock Purdy, who has won five straight games as the starter. Can that magic last into the postseason? With a strong defense and the mid-season acquisition of Christian McCaffrey, the 49ers look like a solid team. Read on to gain some NFL Playoffs betting insights about the club’s prospects.
NFL News: San Francisco 49ers Betting Analysis
→ Nick Bosa might be the team’s MVP
Bosa earned Defensive Rookie of the Year in his first season, and he started a string of Pro Bowl appearances that has now reached three consecutive years. This year, he led the league in sacks in the regular season (18 ½). He had 51 total tackles, with 41 solo. He had 19 tackles for loss, and he tallied 48 quarterback hits. He even forced two fumbles. He should get plenty of chances to add to those numbers against Seattle in the wild-card round, as the Seahawks permitted 46 sacks during the season. In later rounds, the Vikings and Giants are possible opponents, and each allowed at least 40 sacks during the regular season, so expect to hear Bosa’s name a lot as long as the 49ers remain in the postseason.
→ Brock Purdy will blink, but he will still excel
Moving from the regular season to the postseason involves a whole new level of pressure, and even college players who did well in a bowl game have to adjust to the higher brand of expectations. Brock Purdy came into 2022 with the unfortunate nickname of “Mr. Irrelevant,” as he was the last quarterback drafted back in the spring. However, he proved himself extremely relevant. He appeared in nine total games, threw for 1,374 yards and posted a 67.1% pass completion rate. He only threw four interceptions while producing 13 touchdown passes and another touchdown on the ground. You can expect that he will have some nerves coming in, but he dealt with the nerves of playing at the pro level very effectively, and we have no reason to think he won’t adjust to the playoffs just as smoothly.
→ San Francisco will go to the Super Bowl
The wild-card round has San Francisco hosting a Seattle club that did not play well after the bye week. At one point, the Seahawks led the NFC West, but they dropped four out of their last eleven, including a loss to San Francisco in Week 15. They lost to the hapless Las Vegas Raiders, and in Week 18, they had to go to overtime to stop the L.A. Rams. The divisional round will have them at home as well, and they would not have to play Philadelphia until the NFC Championship. Dallas, Tampa Bay, Minnesota and the Giants all have flaws that the 49ers will be able to exploit. In the NFC Championship, the 49ers would have to go on the road to play Philadelphia, but their defense is better, especially in the front seven, their tailback is better, and their quarterback is healthier, as Hurts is still looking balky with that shoulder. Winning in the playoffs on the road is no easy task, but the 49ers did it last year in the divisional round, taking down Green Bay on a snowy night.
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