NFL preseason is underway, with two games on the Thursday slate. With kickoff scheduled for 10 p.m. ET, the San Francisco 49ers will take on the Los Angeles Chargers.
This is the second matchup of the preseason for each team. The Chargers picked up a 27-7 win over the Texans in their opener, while the 49ers fell 19-13 to the Titans.
Looking at the odds, the 49ers enter as 1.5-point favorites with -125 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Chargers are +105 to pull off the upset, with the game total set at 38.5 points.
49ers at Chargers preview
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers dropped their opening preseason matchup to the Titans by a score of 19-13. Tennessee leaned on Cam Ward and most of its starting unit, while San Francisco used the opportunity to evaluate talent deeper in its roster. Second-year quarterback Adrian Martinez saw the bulk of the action at quarterback, completing 16 of his 30 pass attempts for 159 yards. Kurtis Rourke was the lone other player to take snaps at QB, completing 12 of his 14 pass attempts for 101 yards while adding 14 rushing yards on the ground.
However, the outlook is expected to be different in this second preseason matchup, as head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that several starters will play this week. He said Brock Purdy will likely see a handful of snaps, and the game will be treated largely as a dress rehearsal for the regular season. Players like Dre Greenlaw, Trent Williams, Fred Warner, Osa Odighizuwa, and Christian McCaffrey are unlikely to risk injury, but there will be more top-end talent on the field for this game. Mac Jones is listed as second on the 49ers’ depth chart, and he did not take any snaps in the first preseason game, so expect Jones to play an expanded role.
San Francisco’s defense looked impressive during the preseason opener, limiting the Titans to 279 total yards of offense and just 112 passing yards. Injuries have been a black cloud over the 49ers for a few years, and the organization clearly recognizes it. It will be interesting to see how many snaps the starters truly get, but the expectation should be fairly mild. If this roster can get fully healthy and play to their peak in the regular season, the 49ers have a deserving place in the contending conversation. But they will operate with this in mind and expect plenty of players battling for the final roster spots to dominate the snap counts in this matchup, as the primary focus of this 49ers team to be evaluated.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers picked up a 27-7 win over the Texans in their opening preseason matchup in convincing fashion. Los Angeles out-gained Houston 379-209 and limited the Texans to under 100 passing yards. This was despite Justin Herbert and most of the starting unit being sidelined for the game. Trey Lance took the majority of the snaps at quarterback, completing 12 of his 20 pass attempts for 164 passing yards and an interception, while adding 27 rushing yards. DJ Uiagalelei also saw snaps and completed six of his nine pass attempts for 120 passing yards and a touchdown.
This outlook will also differ, as the Chargers plan to lean on their starters in this matchup as well. Under Jim Harbaugh, the Chargers leaned on the same strategy last year, with Week 2 marking the first time Herbert ever played in the preseason. While Herbert has gotten more secure at quarterback, the new offense under Mike McDaniel is a key difference this season. Getting some live action against another opponent is what the organization has decided is the best direction, but expect this time on the field to be fairly minimal, especially following the offensive line injuries starting up already in Los Angeles.
Omarion Hampton is also expected to play his first preseason action, looking to build off a respectable rookie campaign at running back. Some interesting positional battles to watch include the offensive line and the secondary. The quarterback battle behind Herbert is also a prominent storyline as both Lance and Uiagalelei are eager to solidify their standing in the NFL and make their case for why they should be second on the Chargers depth chart.
49ers at Chargers pick, best bet
Much of this game will come down to which team elects to give their starters a longer leash on the field. My lean is toward the Chargers building off their impressive opening preseason performance and pulling off the upset in front of their home crowd.
However, I am backing the game total to go over 38.5 points as my best bet. Los Angeles put up 27 points in their preseason opener and produced 379 yards of total offense against a Texans defense that was one of the best in the league last year. While plenty of starters were not on the field for Houston, the same was true for this Chargers team. McDaniel is one of the sport’s brighter offensive minds and has shown he can scheme players open throughout his tenure. Expect this to be put on display in the first look with the new offensive coordinator calling the shots for Herbert. When the reins are handed to Lance and Uiagalelei, expect a high floor for production as they benefit from the same play calling and possess some unique physical tools that especially shine in this type of preseason ad-lib setting. The Chargers moved the ball extremely well in the preseason opener, and expect more of the same in this matchup.
While the scoring outlook was not strong for the 49ers, as they were limited to just 13 points against the Titans, San Francisco still moved the ball well. They picked up 322 yards of total offense and will also lean on the starters in this matchup for a limited stretch of time. Purdy stepping on the field will raise the production floor, and Jones has also had stretches of success at the NFL level. With both 49ers’ quarterbacks behind him on the depth chart showing some nice flashes in the preseason opener, expect Jones to be eager to prove what he can do.
These are two respectable quarterback rooms, and each defense will be equally bothered by the limited snaps. Expect both offenses to dig a little deeper in their playbook in this second preseason matchup and for this scoring total to be a comfortable bar to clear. Buckle up for some offensive fireworks and don’t be shocked if both sides eclipse 20 points.
