Injuries cause major line moves on Rams-49ers Thursday night game
The good news for the 49ers is that running back Christian McCaffrey is in the lineup for their “Thursday Night Football” game against the Rams. The bad news is that just about every other key San Francisco starter is out.
The lengthy 49ers injury report is why Los Angeles has shot up from a 3-point home favorite to as high as a 9-point favorite.
Starting quarterback Brock Purdy and wide receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings have been ruled out with injuries for a San Francisco team that was already missing tight end George Kittle, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and edge rusher Nick Bosa.
“The whole team is banged up,” Westgate SuperBook vice president of risk Ed Salmons said. “They’re just a MASH unit right now.”
The 49ers won and covered their first three games over the Seahawks, Saints and Cardinals before suffering their first defeat in last week’s 26-21 home loss to the Jaguars.
The Rams have won and covered three of their first four games, including last week’s 27-20 home victory over the Colts. They blew a 26-7 lead at Philadelphia in a 33-26 loss in Week 3 and failed to cover as 3½-point underdogs when the Eagles blocked a field-goal attempt and returned it for a touchdown on the final play of the game.
Los Angeles rewarded its backers with an unlikely cover last week as a 3½-point favorite over Indianapolis after Colts receiver Adonai Mitchell inexplicably dropped the football before crossing the goal line for a score. The Rams then rallied from a 20-13 deficit with two touchdowns in the final 3:20. Quarterback Matthew Stafford hit wide receiver Tutu Atwell with an 88-yard touchdown pass with 1:33 remaining to put Los Angeles ahead for good.
Bettors are all over the Rams over the 49ers. At STN Sports, 71 percent of the spread bets and 82 percent of the money line wagers are on Los Angeles.
“We’ll be big 49ers fans,” Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said.
Favorites of seven points or more on Thursday are 55-37 ATS (59.8 percent), per Bet Labs.
The total also has dropped from 47 to 43½, with 58 percent of the money on the under at BetMGM.
Professional sports bettor Jeff Whitelaw wagered on the Rams -4. He doesn’t recommend a bet on Los Angeles at the current number, though he said he wouldn’t be surprised if it still covers.
“A lot of times these games get out of hand when you have a short week to begin with and you’re injured on top of it,” he said.
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.