The San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Chargers meet up in a week 2 preseason match-up. When looking at NFL odds, which team is the right NFL pick? Let’s take a look at the game!
Sunday, August 22, 2021 – 07:30 PM EDT at SoFi Stadium
In 2019, Kyle Shanahan led the San Francisco team to the Super Bowl. A high-powered defense led by rookie Nick Bosa shut down opposing offenses. On the other side of the ball, the 49ers’ offensive line opened up huge holes. They were able to establish a running attack and control the line of scrimmage.
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo wasn’t often asked to do a lot, but when he was, he did well. He was effective in leading the team, controlling the clock, and making the proper decisions to avoid turnovers. It was almost a Super Bowl victory until a wide-open fly route to Emmanuel Sanders fell short and the Niners failed in their quest to be Super Bowl champions.
In the 2020 season, the Niners’ bodies paid for the extensive 2019 playoff run. The injuries to the Niners were the worst in the league. They missed the most starter snaps out of any team in 2020. The defense was hit exceptionally hard.
The 49ers feel if they get healthy they can head right back to the Super Bowl. The top sportsbooks seem to agree as they have San Francisco just outside of the top-5 favorites list. The quarterback who leads the team is currently in question, however.
Although Jimmy Garoppolo has a fantastic winning record as a starter, the discontent between him and Kyle Shanahan has been evident for a couple of seasons. Shanahan and Garoppolo have both made off-handed remarks about not getting along and not spending that much time together. Although they say the right things, for the most part, there are underlying statements that indicate indicated growing discontent on both sides.
Rumors about Garoppolo and Shanahan not being on the same page philosophically, when it comes to running an offense, became a reality when the 49ers traded up to select Trey Lance last April 29th. The rookie QB is an impressive athlete with a cannon for an arm. Lance played division 1A football though. He did not come up against top talents such as the players coming out of the SEC or Big 10.
Still, he’s been impressing during training camp and the team is excited by his flash and pizazz during practice. Lance becoming the starting quarterback of the 49ers is not a question of if but when.
These preseason games will go a long way in determining how long Garoppolo starts. If Lance can prove that he is ready to move the ball against NFL-level offenses, Garoppolo will be on a short leash. Garoppolo continues to be the more effective of quarterbacks in training camp but the newcomer continues to have the most impressive plays.
The Chargers continually have one of the most impressive rosters in the league, but fail to get a record to reflect that. Last year’s Chargers coach Anthony Lynn was fired and was blamed for many of the team’s late-game collapses.
The Chargers stayed in their home city of Los Angeles to find their new head coach. Brandon Stanley was the defensive coordinator of the Rams for one year before heading across town to take over the Chargers. Staley had big shoes to fill, taking over for respected coordinator Wade Phillips. Staley excelled in this role and brought a new style of defense to the Rams. Now he will do the same he will try to do the same for the Chargers.
The Chargers hit a home run last year with the 6th pick in the draft, Justin Herbert. Herbert has been fantastic and has given the Chargers organization a jolt of hope and energy. Herbert has the potential to eventually be a top-5 quarterback. However, with Brandon Staley coming from the Sean McVay coaching tree, it is most likely he will not get any playing time during this preseason tilt.
Chase Daniels and Easton Hunt will get the majority of the snaps. Daniels was a top prospect out of Missouri but his pro career has fallen short as a starter. He is a capable backup though and should do well in this preseason game. Daniels with 15-27 for 174 yds in his preseason debut against the Rams. The 3rd string quarterback is Easton Hunt. Hunt went 7-7 for 49 yds against the 3rd stringers. Expect both quarterbacks to get all the snaps again as Herbert will most likely sit this one out.
The key matchup is between the 49ers’ O-line and the Chargers’ defensive line. The 49ers’ offense is aggressive downfield, but that is set up by the running attack. Kyle Shanahan loves play action and using misdirection with runs in order to get his tight end and receivers open. If the 49ers are able to win the battle on the line of scrimmage and establish the running game, Shanahan will have his full playbook available to him.
If the Chargers can shut down the 49ers run game, they can turn the 49ers one-dimensional and focus on attacking in pass coverage. Watch the play in the trenches to see who will win this game.
The Chargers are not too interested in getting starters reps during the preseason. Coach Staley has indicated that sometimes the practices will be like games more than the actual preseason games. Shanahan has not viewed the preseason as important either, yet he still puts more stock into it than Staley. Therefore I believe the 49ers will win this game and I’m taking them for my NFL pick.
NFL Pick: 49ers -5 (-108) at BookMaker (visit our BookMaker Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.