The San Francisco 49ers went 0-8 SU and 2-6 ATS on the road in 2018. The 49ers are hoping to have more success away from home this season with Jimmy Garoppolo back under center as they visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their season opener.
San Francisco 49ers vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Matchup Report)
Date/Time: September 8, 4:25 p.m. ET
TV Coverage: FOX
Sportsbook Odds: Tampa Bay -2 | O/U 48.5 (Line History)
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
Betting action on the San Francisco 49ers has moved this line from its opener of Tampa Bay -2 down to Tampa Bay -1. The total has also moved a point from its Sportsbook spot of 49.5 down to 48.5.
San Francisco News & Notes
After going 1-10 SU and 5-6 ATS through the first 11 games of the 2017 season, the 49ers finished on a 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS run under new quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. San Francisco entered the 2018 season as a popular dark-horse pick to compete for a playoff spot in Kyle Shanahan’s second year as the team’s head coach and his first full year with Garoppolo under center.
But when Garoppolo was injured and lost for the season just three games into the campaign, San Francisco had another down season, going 4-12 SU and ATS. Tight end George Kittle was a breakout star for the 49ers with 1,377 yards and five touchdowns on 88 catches, but overall the team struggled without its starting quarterback. This is a make-or-break year for both Garoppolo as a starter and Kyle Shanahan as head coach in San Francisco.
Tampa Bay News & Notes
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have not made the playoffs since Jon Gruden was the head coach back in 2007. Since then, Raheem Morris, Greg Schiano, Lovie Smith and Dirk Koetter have all come and gone as Tampa Bay head coaches. Bruce Arians has come out of retirement in hopes of being the head coach to finally turn things around for the Buccaneers.
Tampa Bay has finished in last place in the NFC South seven times in the last eight seasons, including a 5-11 SU and 7-7-2 ATS record last season. The Buccaneers are hoping that Arians, who has had success with quarterbacks in the past, can help 2015 NFL first overall draft pick Jameis Winston reach new heights in 2019.
Betting Pick
While both of these teams are looking to improve off of disappointing 2018 campaigns, the San Francisco 49ers are the team that seems more likely to do so. They are entering their third season with Kyle Shanahan while the Bucs are just entering season 1 with Bruce Arians. Offseason acquisitions of Nick Bosa with the second overall pick in the NFL draft and former Falcons back Tevin Coleman should fit in nicely with the 49ers in 2019.
Look for Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers to pick up an outright win as 1-point road underdogs in this one. If healthy, San Francisco has the potential to compete for a playoff spot in the NFC; a road win to shake off last year’s road woes would be a great place to start.
- San Francisco is 0-8 SU in its last 8 games on the road.
- Tampa Bay is 6-12 ATS in its last 18 September games.
- The total has gone UNDER in 13 of the Bucs’ last 19 games vs the Niners.
