49ers favored in NFC West for first time since Jim Harbaugh era

The San Francisco 49ers thumped the Cleveland Browns in Week 5 on Monday Night Football, and for the first time in a long time, they are now favorites to win the NFC West. The move comes following the Los Angeles Rams Week 5 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Entering Week 5, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Rams listed as -150 favorites, followed by the 49ers (+225), Seahawks (+375), and Arizona Cardinals (+12500). Following the 49ers MNF victory, the Rams remained favorites at +140 to the 49ers +165, while the Seahawks improved to +225.

However, in the day following the change, the sportsbook decided to move the 49ers into favored status. Given their record and the Rams loss, it’s not surprising that public money led to a change. The order of odds is now:

49ers: +125
Rams: +150
Seahawks: +240
Cardinals: +12500

This marks the first time since the Jim Harbaugh era that the 49ers have been favored to win the division. Harbaugh and the 49ers parted ways after the 2014 season, and it had been downhill ever since between head coaches Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly, and general manager Trent Baalke.

The team cleaned house after the 2016 season, hiring Kyle Shanahan as head coach and John Lynch as general manager. The team went 6-10 in 2017, but acquired quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo prior to the trade deadline. They had high expectations entering 2018, but Garoppolo tore his ACL in Week 3, and the team finished the year 4-12.

They’ve gotten off to a 4-0 start in 2019, with performance finally starting to meet expectations. We get a huge matchup in Week 6, with the Rams hosting the 49ers Sunday afternoon. If the Rams lose a divisional home game, they would be in a tough spot. A win would not necessarily move them back even with the Seahawks, but it would tighten things up considerably.

Odds and lines subject to change. See website for actual odds.
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