Falcons vs. 49ers: Betting odds, injuries, weather and playoff implications
By Peter Panacy
With the San Francisco 49ers hosting the Atlanta Falcons in a Week 15 showdown, Niner Noise breaks down the latest betting odds, weather, injuries and much more.
The San Francisco 49ers and visiting Atlanta Falcons couldn’t be much further apart heading into their Week 15 bout at Levi’s Stadium this Sunday.
The 11-2 Niners are coming off a thrilling road win over the New Orleans Saints, which placed them atop both the conference and the NFC West, while the 4-9 Falcons are merely eyeing the spoiler role and a high pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan will get to square off against his former head coach, Dan Quinn, in this bout, and that will be part of the storyline. So will a rash of significant 49ers injuries Shanahan and Co. will have to absorb for this contest, possibly beyond.
More importantly, though, San Francisco will want to ensure it doesn’t fall into the pitfalls of this being a potential trap game.
At least the odds makers aren’t seeing it as such.
Betting Odds and Lines
The 49ers currently sit at 10.5-point favorites for this bout, according to the Action Network, with the moneyline going at minus-480 for San Francisco and plus-400 for Atlanta.
Interestingly enough, the over/under is set at 48, so the betting isn’t necessarily banking on another high-scoring affair in the realm of what the Niners experienced in New Orleans last week.
Local Weather
Rain has been hitting Northern California in recent days, although the forecast for Sunday’s bout at Levi’s Stadium looks to be favorable for this time of year. Temperature at kickoff is predicted to be 54 degrees, with northwesterly winds of five miles per hour.
There’s only a one-percent chance of precipitation, and it should be partly cloudy.
49ers Significant Injuries
The Niners are going to be banged up for this contest. Shanahan already announced the team would put nose tackle D.J. Jones (ankle) on season-ending injured reserve, joining center Weston Richburg (knee), who was placed on IR earlier in the week.
Shanahan also said cornerback Richard Sherman (hamstring) was close to returning, but he’ll be ruled out. Same with safety Jaquiski Tartt (ribs), who also missed Week 14.
Kyle Shanahan also says on KNBR both Richard Sherman (hamstring) and Jaquiski Tartt (ribs) won’t be available for the #49ers game vs. #Falcons. #49wz
— Peter Panacy (@PeterPanacy) December 12, 2019
EDGE Dee Ford (hamstring) and nickel back K’Waun Williams (concussion) also missed practice this week.
Falcons Significant Injuries
Atlanta is also dealing with some notable injuries at this point in the season. Already having lost No. 2 wide receiver Calvin Ridley to a season-ending abdominal injury, top wideout Julio Jones is banged up with a shoulder injury.
Jones seems likely to play, though.
Perhaps not running back Devonta Freeman (knee), though, and defensive end Adrian Clayborn missed practice with a back injury.
Playoff Implications for San Francisco
The 49ers could have clinched a playoff berth in Week 14, but the Los Angeles Rams beating the Seahawks prevented that from happening for at least another week.
As NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero pointed out, the Niners could clinch a playoff berth via one of the three scenarios:
- 49ers win or tie or
- Rams lose or tie or
- Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers both lose
Or, simply put, the Niners need to tie, or better, in Week 15 to get into the postseason.
Next. Ranking 49ers' top 10 disappointments of 2019. dark
The 49ers and Falcons kick off on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 4:25 p.m. from Levi’s Stadium.