Thursday Night Football: 49ers open as double-digit favorites vs. Giants
By Peter Panacy
1-1. Thursday, Sept. 21. 2-0. 42. 49ers -10. 8:20 p.m. ET. 31. Amazon Prime. 49ers-Giants opening
The 49ers aren't likely to face the Giants' best offensive player on a short week because of injury, and the oddsmakers know this.
Despite a few challenging stretches and stressful moments, the San Francisco 49ers managed to improve to 2-0 after upending the Los Angeles Rams by a score of 30-23 on Sunday in Week 2.
Only a few hours away, the Niners' next opponent, the New York Giants, staged one of the more improbable comebacks seen in some time, first falling behind against the lowly Arizona Cardinals out in Glendale, Arizona, and then overcoming a 28-7 third-quarter deficit to ultimately win 31-28.
Perhaps the red birds are tanking hard, but that's an issue for another time.
Now at 1-1, the G-Men travel north on their West Coast road trip and will face San Francisco on a short week for Thursday Night Football in Week 3, a game that'll be the 49ers' 2023 home opener at Levi's Stadium.
And the Niners are already heavily favored in the primetime contest.
49ers open up as 10-point home favorites vs. Giants for Thursday Night Football
San Francisco opened up as a 10-point home favorite for Thursday night, according to the oddsmakers over at DraftKings.
The 49ers' opening moneyline is -470, and the over/under for the game started off at 45.
Perhaps one of the bigger news bits impacting the spread and line is Giants Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley suffering what looked to be a serious ankle injury in the victory over Arizona. While the original fear was he suffered a significant fracture, further updates have reported that it's likely just a sprain.
Sources: X-Rays on Saquon Barkley’s ankle came back negative (meaning nothing is broken).
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) September 18, 2023
The next big step: I’m told the #Giants’ star RB will have an MRI tomorrow.
Again, the team believes Barkley didn’t suffer a serious injury, but the MRI will be its final confirmation. https://t.co/OItD3Qmw1e
Related story: Updated NFC West standings after Week 2, 49ers stay on top of division
Great news for Barkley and New York. But the injury still probably sidelines him for Thursday Night Football, meaning the Niners won't have to face the Giants' best offensive weapon.
While San Francisco is dealing with some injury concerns as well, namely wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk having a banged-up shoulder, none of head coach Kyle Shanahan's star players are expected to be sidelined for the Thursday night showdown against New York.
The two teams kick off on Thursday, Sept. 21 at 8:20 p.m. ET from Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
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