The No. 1-seed 49ers are rightly favored big over the No. 6-seed Vikings on Saturday in their divisional round matchup. Online betting site BetMGM has San Francisco favored by 7 points in their first ever playoff game at Levi’s Stadium.
That means San Francisco would have to win by 8 for 49ers bettors to win the game.
That’s a pretty tall ask for a team with most of its roster playing in its first playoff game. It’s also indicative of how important the bye week and home-field advantage are viewed.
The 49ers and Vikings are pretty evenly matched across the board, and the Vikings are coming off a 26-20 overtime road win over the Saints where they were 8-point underdogs going into the contest.
Being favored may not actually be good news for San Francisco if the wild card round was any indication of how these playoffs will go. Only one home team, the Texans, won in the first round of the playoffs. Only two of the favorites covered, and the other two lost outright. Houston beat the Bills by three after entering the game favored by 2.5, and the Seahawks downed the Eagles by eight after going into the contest as 1.5-point favorites.
Seven points is a lot for a divisional game, but it’s actually only the third-highest line of the four games. The Ravens are 8.5-point favorites over the Titans, and the Chiefs are 9.5-point favorites against the Texans.
The only line lower than San Francisco’s is Green Bay, which is giving four points to the Seahawks.
This is the largest line for a 49ers playoff game since the divisional round in 1998, when San Francisco was favored by 11.5 over the Vikings at Candlestick Park. The 49ers covered easily in a 38-22 win.