The San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Chargers both reached the playoffs last season, with the 49ers losing in the Divisional Round to the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks.
The Chargers fell short when losing 16-3 to the New England Patriots in the Wild Card Round and both teams will be aiming to build on that for the new campaign.
They have had joint practice this week and now face off in this preseason matchup at SoFi Stadium.
49ers vs. Chargers Betting Picks & Predictions
San Francisco 49ers ML (-110)
The San Francisco 49ers lost their opening preseason game 19-13 to the Tennessee Titans but they look capable of bouncing back against the Chargers in their second in what is a pick'em.
The Chargers were dealt a huge blow this week, with starting center Tyler Biadasz suffering a long-term knee injury in practice on Tuesday. Now Los Angeles will have to alter their entire offensive line on the brink of the new season, with Jake Slaughter expected to make the move from left tackle to center.
Slaughter is a second-round rookie and will have plenty of responsibility for protecting quarterback Justin Herbert, who is expected to play at least a series in this matchup.
Likewise Brock Purdy is expected to feature under center at some point with 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan reportedly frustrated by some sluggish practice this week.
That may be the motivation which Shanahan needs to field more of his starters after resting all of them in their loss to the Titans last time out.
Injury doubts Demarcus Robinson, Kaelon Black and Keion White all returned to the field this week, although it remains to be seen if they will feature in this game.
Former Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris is in at defensive coordinator for the 49ers and his aggressive coverages have been successful in practice.
If his defensive unit can bring the same intensity to this game, they should make life tough for Herbert and put the pressure back on what looks set to be a makeshift Chargers’ offensive line.
Former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is in as offensive coordinator of the Chargers, setting up what should be an interesting matchup between two coaches looking to rebuild their respective reputations.
Veteran receiver Mike Evans is likely to miss this one for the 49ers but will be an interesting option for Purdy as the season goes on. Rookie receiver De’Zhaun Stribling also impressed in workouts this week and the 49ers’ receiving corps is looking strong.
It’s worth taking San Francisco to bounce back and win this game against the Chargers, who may be less likely to field starters and with struggles in their offensive line likely to continue.
Under 38.5 points (-110)
The under hit in both of these two teams’ first preseason games and looks a solid bet once more in this second matchup.
Despite more starters expected to feature, neither of the two are going to be going all out in this game while the trends point to the under in meetings between the pair anyway.
Three of the last four meetings between the pair have seen the under land and Los Angeles’ under rate was 11-6-1 last season.
San Francisco will be without Christian McCaffrey and Mike Evans while there are issues on the Chargers’ offensive line which will take time to fix. The under looks a solid pick in this preseason game.
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49ers vs. Chargers odds
San Francisco 49ers | -110 |
Los Angeles Chargers | -110 |
Spread | LA Chargers -1.5 |
Total Points | O/U 38.5 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
