Arguably the most anticipated game of the opening week of the NFL season will be an NFC matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers. The 49ers will be the home team in this one, set for a kickoff with the late afternoon wave of Sunday games at 4:25pm ET.
- When:
Sun., Sept. 8th, 2013 @ 4:25pm ET
- Where:
Candlestick Park, SF, CA
- Who’s Favored?
49ers by 4.5 ~ 56 o/u @ BetOnline
- More Info:
San Francisco enters the season with extremely high expectations, coming just short in the Super bowl last year against Baltimore. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick is coming into his first full season as the starter.
The 49ers have plenty of balance within their offense, led of course by Kaepernick and running back Frank Gore on the ground. Expect Gore to have plenty of carries against Green Bay to see if the Packers defense can stop them.
Newly acquired receiver Anquan Boldin should play a big role as well, filling the shoes of Michael Crabree for the time being while Crabtree is sidelined.
The Packers have one of the best quarterbacks in the league in Aaron Rodgers, so expect there to be plenty of passes. But in an effort to balance the offense, running back Eddie Lacy from Alabama was drafted. Lacy should see some carries against a stout front-seven from San Francisco, so gaining yards could be tough. But any success will be able to help Rodgers pick apart the San Francisco secondary.
This has the potential to be a showdown much later in the season for the playoffs, but the journey will start with a win for only one of these teams.