The San Francisco 49ers have not had much luck when they are favored in games. During Week 7, they were 1-point favorites heading into their home matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They ended up getting beat 34-17. On Sunday, they ended up being 2.5-point road favorites against the Chicago Bears. They lost 26-6.
Now, they are favored for the second straight game and their third of the season. The brains in Vegas opened them up as 2.5-point home favorites against the New York Jets, their opponent on Sunday. However, that number could shift as the week progresses. The 49ers are just 1-11 and have lost 11 straight. The Jets are 3-9 and have lost four straight.
Some of that may be due to the fact that the Jets will be starting quarterback Bryce Petty over Ryan Fitzpatrick, who was benched on Monday against the Indianapolis Colts.
"Yeah, we went into yesterday thinking that we would get Fitzpatrick," 49ers defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil told the media this morning. "As we're game planning and scripting and doing some stuff last night, Bryce Petty ends up getting the job and Todd Bowles comes on and says they were going to go with him the last four weeks.
"It doesn't change a lot. It changes some things, but ... real strong arm. Obviously, he's a real young quarterback. He does have weapons around him – Brandon Marshall. They've got a very good backfield in Bilal Powell, C. J. Spiller, [Matt] Forte. I don't think, with Chan Gailey, their offense will change much. He's going to run his system. It's been a proven system in this league. He's had a lot of success.
"[Petty] does have a big arm and he can make all the throws so we'll be prepared for him."
Sunday's game against the 49ers will be Petty's second ever NFL start. Of course, that didn't stop Bears quarterback Matt Barkley from soundly passing on the 49ers' defense on Sunday.
Today, it was announced that Colin Kaepernick would start against the Jets. He was benched on Sunday in favor of Blaine Gabbert. Kaepernick completed just one of his five passes for four yards before being pulled early in the fourth quarter.
Both the 49ers and Jets offenses rank near the bottom of the league in points scored, total yards, and passing yards. Both defenses are ranked poorly in points allowed. However, the 49ers offense has somehow managed to rank fourth in the league in rushing. RB Carlos Hyde had 92 yards on 20 carries against Chicago.
With both fanbases having given up on their teams, it will be interesting to see what Sunday's crowd at Levi's Stadium looks like.