The 49ers are heavy favorites in a playoff game for the second week in a row. They entered their divisional round game vs. the Vikings as 7-point favorites, and that’s what the line sits at now for their NFC championship showdown with the Green Bay Packers on Sunday according to BetMGM.
It’s not a surprise the 49ers are favored. They’re at home against a team they thumped by 29 points just two months ago. Seven points feels like a lot though against a Packers team that enters the contest on a six-game winning streak.
San Francisco’s 38-7 Week 12 win certainly looms over this point spread though. There were a host of things going against the 49ers in that one, including injuries to left tackle Joe Staley, linebacker Kwon Alexander and defensive end Dee Ford. They’re all set to play in the NFC championship.
It’s also worth noting the 49ers defense played just 46 snaps in the divisional round compared to 64 for the Packers. Now Green Bay has to travel to the West Coast, while the 49ers got an additional day of rest and get to stay home throughout the week.
Perhaps the biggest key to the spread is how each team looked in the divisional round. Green Bay had to hold on at home against the Seahawks, while the 49ers trounced the Vikings in a 27-10 game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. The Packers are on a long winning streak, but the 49ers on Saturday looked like a team that’s hitting its stride at the right time.
Ultimately we may see this line come down some as people try and take advantage of such a high spread in an NFC championship game, but if the 49ers play like they did against Minnesota, they’ll punch their ticket to Super Bowl LIV and cover the 7 points with ease.
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