As of Friday morning, The San Francisco 49ers are currently a –10 favorite on the point spread at BetUS Sportsbook. The Niners are also an expensive –500 on the ‘moneyline’, or a bet on the outright winner. At –500, a bettor must risk $500 to produce net winnings of just $100.
But that hasn’t stopped BetUS customers from backing the 49ers both on the point spread and the money line, by an overwhelming majority. As of Friday morning, BetUS reported that 66.36% of wagers and 66.41% of the total dollar volume bet on the point spread had been bet in favor of the 49ers.
And even more unusual, 61.34% of the bets on the moneyline had been bet on the 49ers as well, despite the extremely steep price. “We usually see this go the other way, with customers betting the underdog on the moneyline in hopes of a larger payout,” explains Barry Barger, senior betting analyst with BetUS.
“I think bettors are looking to the 49ers incredible 10-game winning streak, their record and the fact that the 49ers have won two of the three games they’ve played against the Seahawks this year,” Barger says. “The numbers alone are on the side of the 49ers.”
“But the Seahawks have enough team to unfold Brock Purdy’s weaknesses and inexperience as he faces the pressure of the postseason for the first time,” Barger continues.
“Further complicating things for the 49ers, the chance of rain is set at 100%, with a half an inch expected. While this could affect both teams, producing more fumbles, flukes and turnovers, my money says that the 49ers have the most to lose playing in the rain – in fact, they lost to the Bears 19-10 in Week 1 in rain-soaked Chicago in one of the most surprise upsets this season. For their part, Seattle is... Seattle, a city synonymous with rain, giving the Seahawks an advantage in this weather. We could very well see the Seahawks do what the Bears did to the 49ers in Week 1.”
But despite the risks for the 49ers, they are 5-0 against the spread (ATS) in their last 5 games at home and 8-0 ATS in their last 8 games versus NFC West rivals, including their last two matchups against Seattle on Week 2 and Week 15.
Still, the BetUS analyst isn’t convinced. “10 points are a lot to give in this kind of game even though San Francisco has a superior team. They might win, but weather is going to come into play, producing turnovers that could hurt the Niners and throw a wrench into that point spread. Both of these quarterbacks were unlikely to find themselves where they will be tomorrow,” Barger says.
“With a game like this, I might decide to not pick sides altogether, and instead look to the huge menu of prop bets available – there are a hundred of them. In particular, I’d be looking at props for turnovers, fumbles, and interceptions given the weather forecast. There is money to be made there.”