When the San Francisco 49ers pulled off a trade deadline deal to snag Jimmy Garoppolo from the New England Patriots, a lot of Niners fans were stoked to finally have their quarterback of the future. Little did they know they would have to wait almost a month before coach Kyle Shanahan would put him on the field to see what he could do in a 49ers uniform. Well, Week 13 will be Garoppolo’s first start as San Francisco’s quarterback vs the Chicago Bears and here are some props being offered that could provide great value for bettors.
Total Passing Yards
PICK – OVER 225.5 yards (-120)
Jimmy G will get the Bears secondary to contend with in Week 13 and online sportsbook Sportsbook has the OVER at -120. In his two starts for the Patriots last season, he hung 264 yards on the Cardinals secondary that was touted as one of the best in the NFL with Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu and another 232 yards on the Dolphins before exiting with an injury. Obviously, he won’t have the talent and coaching surrounding him like when he was with the Pats but I still like his chances. Mainly because Shanahan will figure out gimmicky ways to keep Garoppolo upright with quick throws and the Bears defensive backs aren’t exactly world beaters, allowing over 235 passing yards and a 68 percent completion rate to opposing quarterbacks in the last three games. Even if the Bears come out swinging, there’s plenty of opportunity for “garbage time” yards for Jimmy G (hopefully that’s not what the G stands for).
Total Interceptions
PICK – UNDER 0.5 (+110)
This one offers decent value and it may be my lock of the three props. Garoppolo has yet to throw an interception in his career and I don’t think that’s going to change in Week 13. Coming from the School of Belichick, I expect Jimmy G to make solid decisions with the football and do what most young quarterbacks have a hard time grasping, which is to throw the ball away instead of forcing it into a tight window. The Bears secondary hasn’t really shown a nose for the ball either, only grabbing four interceptions this season, which ranks 29th in the NFL. The only stat that mildly concerns me is that a 49ers quarterback has thrown an interception in nine of 11 games this season. Yikes! No wonder they made the trade.
Total TD Passes
PICK – OVER 1.5 (+110)
Two passes. That’s all it took for Garoppolo to throw his first touchdown of the season. While it may have been against a depleted Seahawks secondary, those results are very encouraging for bettors. In the last three games, the Chicago Bears have allowed six passing touchdowns, including three to Carson Wentz in Week 12. With half of the Bears starting secondary questionable going into this game, I easily expect two more passing touchdowns for the second coming of Joe Montana.
