The 49ers visit the Eagles on Sunday, in a battle between the top team teams in the NFL (in the opinion of many).
San Francisco is favored by 2.5 points in the game to be played at Philadelphia. Coach Kyle Shanahan was asked by reporters on Wednesday whether it bothers him that the 49ers are favorited, given the the Eagles are the home team and Philadelphia has the best record in the league, at 10-1.
“I mean, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, but I don’t really know how that stuff works,” Shanahan said. “So, I don’t really know why. It is random.”
One basic principle is to set the line to encourage equal amounts wagered on each team. That’s the safest course for sportsbooks, with half the bets winning and half the bets losing and the sportsbooks’s profit becoming the vigorish on the winning bets.
The 49ers are regarded as the better team, records notwithstanding. When healthy, the 49ers arguably could beat anyone in the league — including the Eagles, in Philadelphia.
Then there’s the fact that the 49ers had three extra days to get ready. The Eagles, in contrast, had a hard-fought overtime win on Sunday. That alone creates an edge for the 49ers in a game that could determine home field for the playoff rematch.
