The San Francisco 49ers look to continue their mastery over SoCal-based opponents when they host the Los Angeles Chargers in the Week 10 edition of Sunday Night Football. Prior to last week’s bye, the Niners crushed the LA Rams for a second win and payout against their division rival this season. They did it behind a sensational game from newly acquired Christian McCaffrey, who gives the offense an additional element to go along with a sturdy defense. Inconsistent play has hindered the Niners, though, as they are just 4-4 SU and ATS through their first eight games.
The Week 10 Sunday Night Football contest between the Los Angeles Chargers and San Francisco 49ers will take place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA at 8:20 p.m. ET on November 13, 2022 and will be televised on NBC.
Chargers vs 49ers Odds
Los Angeles Chargers +7 ( +260 )
San Francisco 49ers -7 ( -320 )
Over/Under 45.5
Odds Analysis
The betting public noticed what a difference McCaffrey made to the Niners offense with heavy early action moving the spread to a converted touchdown after hitting the board at Niners -3.5. And some additional down time during the off week should help some of the injured players get healthy enough to take the field. The win over the Rams stopped a 2-game SU and ATS slide that saw SF surrender 72 points with the OVER going 3-1 in the last four outings. The Chargers are hoping their successful ways on the road continue. They rattled off three straight away wins, including last week’s 20-17 comeback as a 2.5-point favorite improving to 4-0 ATS. Overall the Chargers are 5-3 SU and ATS.
Los Angeles Chargers
It’s been a few years and it’s still hard to refer to them as the Los Angeles Chargers. Thankfully I haven’t made the mistake in writing, but I digress. If San Francisco fans want to talk about injuries they should stay away from the Bolts. Losing another starter for the season last week, the Chargers are running out of bodies yet somehow they win games. Austin Johnson was the latest to go down joining Joey Bosa, J.C. Jackson and Rashawn Slater as key defenders on the shelf. There’s also enough on the other side of the football with receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams missing time and listed as day-to-day.
One thing about the Chargers is they are resilient and have enough talent beyond the injured players to still be dangerous. Last week they trailed Atlanta 10-0 in the first quarter, the fourth straight game the Bolts fell behind by at least 10 points. In three of those outings they completed the comeback knocking off Cleveland and Denver before the Falcons. Most of the players on the current roster weren’t around when the teams last met in 2018. The Bolts won that day 29-27 extending their winning streak in the series to five games while going 4-1 ATS.
San Francisco 49ers
Credit the Niners for going all in on McCaffrey. They gave up a lot for an injury-prone back who played only 10 games combined in the previous two seasons. But when he’s out there CMC is a difference-maker. Starting against the Rams in Week 8, McCaffrey hit the trifecta with a TD pass while catching and running for a score. He accounted for 149 scrimmage yards with 94 on 18 rush attempts with another 55 on eight receptions. Before you go crowning the Niners champs just take into account how far the Rams have fallen and remember two other losses were to Chicago and Denver.
You would think teams would have an edge coming off a bye with that additional week of rest and prep time. That hasn’t been the case for the Niners. They were rolled last year by Indy 30-18 at home and they are just 2-7 SU and ATS in their last nine games immediately after their bye. The expected return of Deebo Samuel and McCaffrey getting more comfortable with the system should boost an offense against a Bolts stop group missing several key contributors.
Chargers vs 49ers Prediction
Adding a talent like McCaffrey is a huge boost to the Niners, who already own one of the league’s top defensive units. The expectations went through the roof after the deal and even higher after the beatdown of the Rams two weeks ago. Still, they’ve been inconsistent enough to make bettors worry and the Chargers have been able to withstand the best shots from their opponent to win three of the last four games. If the Niners play like they can a win and cover is theirs with an offense that has the weapons to put up a lot of points.
Prediction: San Francisco 49ers -7 and OVER 45.5
