The San Francisco 49ers enter the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs as the Super Bowl favorite. It is a spot that they have been throughout most of the season, as they had been one of the most dominant teams in the league throughout the entirety of the campaign, outside of perhaps three weeks. They will take on the Green Bay Packers inside Levi’s Stadium on Saturday night, and the starters for San Francisco are well rested.
And that could spell doom for Jordan Love and company.
NFL: 49ers’ Starters Haven’t Played Yet In 2024
65% of bets are on the Packers +9.5 for Saturday’s Divisional Round matchup against the 49ers 🧀 pic.twitter.com/nqeFeo9AuI
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) January 19, 2024
Because of their excellence during the regular season, many of the regular starters for San Francisco haven’t seen the field yet in 2024. Due to the Week 17 results around the league, the 49ers were able to wrap up the NFC’s #1 seed after their game against the Commanders, allowing them to rest their starters for the final game on the schedule.
Then, given a bye for the first week of the postseason, they were cozy at home for Wild Card Weekend while other teams battled in the elements throughout the country. As head coach Kyle Shanahan boldly stated, they started preparing for Green Bay during the second quarter of the game between the Packers and Cowboys.
Pass rusher Nick Bosa spoke on the importance of the rest and feeling fresh:
I feel the rest. I definitely feel like we’re going to come out humming, on the D-line, at least. We’re healthy and fresh. I think people are going to be, not shocked — but I think they’re going to see the Niner D-line playing really well.
They’ll be all hands on deck for Saturday against Jordan Love and company, and are one of the healthiest NFL teams remaining in the field. And when they are healthy and rested, the 49ers are a force to be reckoned with.
SF Has Been Dominant When Well Rested
Deebo Samuel says the #49ers are ready to play an actual game again, after a good week of just rest and practice pic.twitter.com/G2Vbs0v11R
— Kate Rooney (@TheKateRooney) January 16, 2024
There have been two games this season in which San Francisco has had more than just your typical 6 days of rest between contests. The first was obviously the Week 1 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which the 49ers dominated throughout and won 30-7.
There was then the game that followed their bye week, as the Jacksonville Jaguars were the unfortunate recipients of a well-rested whooping that ended with a score of 34-3.
The oddsmakers agree with the notion thus far. As of Friday afternoon, the game between the Packers and 49ers had the largest spread of any of this weekend’s NFL contests, with Green Bay listed as a 9.5 point underdog.
The Packers haven’t beaten the 49ers in the playoffs in any of their last four tries.
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