49ers vs. Rams: Enticing prop bets for Week 4 Monday Night Football

The 49ers host the Rams on Monday Night Football, and the betting odds for some prop bets provide plenty of intrigue for this primetime showdown.

A year ago in what was essentially a must-win game for the San Francisco 49ers to get back into the playoff hunt after an abysmal 3-5 start, head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad ultimately throttled the visiting Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football to the tune of a 31-10 victory.

Now, with San Francisco off to a sluggish 1-2 start and coming off an embarrassing 11-10 defeat at the hands of the Denver Broncos on Sunday Night Football, Shanahan and Co. will look for another “get right” game against the visiting 2-1 Rams on Monday night this year.

All the while wishing for a similar outcome as to what played out a season ago.

LA, despite winning the Super Bowl last February, is also dealing with some offensive challenges, including almost no production from star wide receiver Allen Robinson, a banged-up offensive line and a notable seven turnovers through three weeks. And while Los Angeles is in sole possession of first place within the NFC West, that chance for the 49ers to pull off a victory is certainly there.

After all, the Niners have won six of their last seven games versus their Southern California rivals, the only blip on that record being what happened in the NFC Championship game last February.

Interestingly enough, the oddsmakers over at FanDuel have San Francisco has a 1.5-point home favorite, and based on historical trends of the last three years, betting on the 49ers to both win outright and cover the spread might be a wise choice.

Let’s look at some of the other prop bets that’ll garner some interest for Monday night.

49ers vs. Rams prop bet No. 1: Anything but a punt, touchdown or field-goal try on opening drive (+650)

Trying to ascertain what happens on the opening drive of the Niners-versus-Rams game is a wild guess, especially considering no one knows the victor of the coin toss yet.

Both San Francisco and LA are struggling, offensively, so the FanDuel betting favorite of a punt (-145) makes a lot of sense here.

However, for the bold, anticipating a turnover or even a safety (thank you, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo) might be much more provocative.

Especially considering Jimmy G’s own turnover woes and the fact Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has thrown five interceptions on the year already.

49ers vs. Rams prop bet No. 2: Over/under on Niners total points (21.5)

Speaking of a struggling 49ers offense, head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad has mustered a mere 47 points on the year, which is tied for fourth worst in the NFL entering Week 4.

Averaging 15.7 points per game probably suggests betting the under on the Niners’ over/under point total of 21.5 against LA would be wise, and that option is the favorite at -116.

Read More: 49ers vs. Rams: Week 4 betting odds, prediction for Monday night

However, San Francisco should have every opportunity for a bit of a market correction here, and betting the over at -106 could take advantage of bucking the recent trend.

49ers vs. Rams prop bet No. 3: Quarter 4 being the lowest-scoring quarter (+440)

Shanahan’s offenses have not performed well in the second half of games this year. Sure, some of this can be blamed on the Week 2 transition to Garoppolo from now out-for-the-year quarterback Trey Lance.

But it doesn’t completely erase the fact the 49ers have managed only 10 fourth-quarter points this season.

That averages out to just 3.3 points in the final frame of regulation per game for the Niners, 23rd overall in the NFL in this category. And while that’s bad, Los Angeles is surprisingly worse, averaging just one point per fourth quarter thus far, which is tied for 27th.

Interestingly enough, the betting-odds favorite for the lowest-scoring quarter on Monday night isn’t the fourth (+440) but rather the first quarter at +230, followed closely by the third quarter at +240.

Perhaps hoping for an unimpressive scoring stalemate in the final quarter would be what bettors here would like most.

San Francisco kicks off against LA on Monday, Oct. 3 at 8:15 p.m. ET from Levi’s Stadium.