The San Francisco 49ers are on the road taking on the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night in the second week of preseason NFL action. San Francisco lost their opener to Kansas City, 19-16, while the Chargers took down the Rams, 13-6.
Sunday’s kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. EST inside SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA. The game will be live on the NFL Network. The 49ers are a 5.5-point favorite, and the total score over-under is at 34.
What to Know – San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco couldn’t hold to the lead in its preseason opener, surrendering a late fourth-quarter touchdown with 74 seconds to play to come out with a loss. The 49ers have a quarterback battle taking place between first-round pick Trey Lance and incumbent starter Jimmy Garoppolo.
Garoppolo started the opening series, completing all three of his passing attempts for 26 yards before the 49ers brought in the rookie Lance. The North Dakota State product finished the night 5-for-14 for 128 yards and one touchdown pass.
San Francisco rushed 29 times for 175 yards against Kansas City. JaMycal Hasty led the rushers, who churned out 63 yards on ten touches with a score. Rookie Trey Sermon added nine carries for 26 yards in his first pro-action.
The 49ers’ defense held the Chiefs to 258 yards of offense, including only 74 yards on the ground. San Francisco got to the quarterback four times and caused one turnover.
What to Know – Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers opened up the preseason in front of 70,000 fans for the first time in SoFi Stadium. Los Angeles gave those fans something to be excited about, escaping with a low-scoring victory over the city rival.
Starting quarterback, Justin Herbert didn’t suit up for the hosts, handing the snaps over to backups Chase Daniel and Easton Stick. Daniel threw for 104 yards on 15-of-24 passing while Stick was a perfect 7-for-7 for 63 yards.
Rookie running back Larry Rountree III tallied 63 of the team’s 112 yards on the ground. Darius Bradwell scored from one yard out in the third quarter to mark the only touchdown in the opener for the Chargers.
Defensively, Los Angeles kept the Rams to 197 yards from scrimmage, giving up 73 yards on the ground and 124 through the air. The Chargers created the only turnover of the game and allowed only two trips inside the Red Zone.
The Pick is In
The quarterback competition in San Francisco is heating up, and we should see more of Garoppolo and Lance on Sunday night. With the starting job on the line, expect both players to perform at a high level and leads the 49ers on a few scoring drives.
You won’t see much of Herbert again this week, if at all. Head coach Brandon Staley rested many of his stars last week, and most will see limited time on the field in game two. Unders have owned the preseason, but behind a strong showing from the 49ers’ offense, this one ends in the
high-30s.
Betting Pick: 49ers/Chargers OVER 34
