SNF bets: 49ers, Bears meet in battle between NFC powerhouses
Week 17's Sunday slate concludes with the NFC North-leading Bears traveling to the West Coast to take on the 49ers. Both teams remain in the hunt for the conference's top seed, which grants a bye in the first round and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Let's get to our pick against the spread, touchdown scorers, and favorite props for this massive Sunday nighter.
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π Pick: 49ers (-3)
Chicago played Saturday in Week 16, while San Francisco played Monday, giving the Bears a two-day rest advantage. Still, the 49ers were beyond impressive in their blowout victory over the Colts, and returning home should somewhat mitigate that factor.
The Bears beat the Packers in dramatic fashion last week, but Green Bay's Malik Willis was under center for the majority of the game. Although Chicago continues to improve in its first season with head coach Ben Johnson, this is a difficult spot on the road after an emotional win.
I'll side with the home team in prime time. Brock Purdy put on a clinic in Indianapolis, and the Bears' defense has struggled at times this year. I'd be tempted to take Chicago if the spread moved further in San Francisco's favor, but as a field-goal favorite, the Niners are the play.
NFL news editor Brenden Deeg is our "Anytime TD Guy," providing touchdown scorer props all season long.
π Bet: Anytime TD (+110)
Jennings has been on a tear in recent weeks, finding the end zone seven times over his last seven outings. With George Kittle banged up, we expect Jennings to get a heavy workload Sunday. He has a great matchup versus a Bears defense that's allowed the second-most scores to wide receivers.
π Bet: Anytime TD (+200)
There's not much long-shot value in this game, so we'll go with Chicago's standout rookie. San Francisco's defensive weakness is slowing down tight ends, as it's surrendered the eighth-most targets and fourth-most touchdowns to the position.
π Bet: Over 69.5 rushing yards
McCaffrey has surpassed this total in five of his last seven appearances and now faces a Bears defense that allows 131 rushing yards per game, the sixth most in the league.
π Bet: Over 5.5 receptions
With Kittle out, McCaffrey will be heavily involved in the passing game. The star running back caught at least six passes in seven straight contests to open the season, all games in which Kittle missed time. Overall, McCaffrey has hauled in six or more receptions in 10 of 15 outings this year.
π Bet: Over 19.5 receiving yards
As mentioned, the 49ers are weakest against tight ends, and Kmet has cleared this number in three of his past four games. He's also caught at least two balls in four consecutive contests. If he sees that volume again, this prop should hit.
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