The San Francisco 49ers were a surprise team last season but made it all the way to the second round of the playoffs. They were one or two plays away from beating the eventual Super Bowl
winners, so needless to …
The 49ers made some key improvements to their roster in the offseason in hopes of proving that they are in fact an improved squad. We’ll find out whether that’s the case right off the bat in Week 1 when they visit Lambeau Field
San Francisco 49ers @ Green Bay Packers
Betting Line: Packers -7
The NFL odds makers aren’t giving the San Francisco 49ers much respect in Week 1 as they are a touchdown underdog at Lambeau Field. The Packers, though, have been tumbling downhill since late last season and if there ever was a chance for the 49ers to make a tweak to the NFC power rankings, Week 1 could be it.
The Packers collapsed at the end of last season and it’s unclear if anything has really changed. Injuries still hampered them in the preseason as Greg Jennings and Jermichael Finley missed almost all of the exhibition games and some injuries, like the one to linebacker Desmond Bishop (season), will linger.
Furthermore, their running game is still a question mark as street free agent Cedric Benson looks like he’ll start in Week 1 as Ryan Grant is no longer on the team and James Starks is on the borderline.
If the game is put solely on the shoulder of Aaron Rodgers, the 49ers are going to get after him and make life as tough as possible. We’ve seen how they can ratchet up the pressure and if the Packers are one-dimensional, the 49ers will do exactly that.
It’s still a tall order for the 49ers to go on the road to Lambeau and steal a win but given the state of the two teams, it’s not as unreasonable as the odds makers seem to think.