Could NBC have planned things any better for this Sunday night when the 49ers host the Vikings in NFL betting? Brett Favre announced his return this week so there will be added interest when Minnesota takes on San Francisco on Sunday night. Favre may not play much but the interest among gamblers making an NFL bet should be a little higher.NFL betting numbers favor the 49ers by 3.5 points at the Sbg global Sportsbook. It is a little surprising to see San Francisco favored by more than a field goal against the Vikings. Favre just returned to practice this week for the Vikings but it would not be surprising to see him play a series or two. Minnesota has quality backups in Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels so the NFL bet odds on this game are a little weird.
Series History: This will be the first time that the 49ers and Vikings have ever played a preseason game against each other in San Francisco. It is the first meeting in the preseason between the two since 2004. Minnesota leads the series 3-2.
San Francisco won 37-17 last week in the preseason against Indianapolis but it is hard to get too excited about beating a Colts team that doesn’t care at all about the preseason. Rookie running back Anthony Dixon rushed for 100 yards in the game. Too bad for him it may not help him much since the 49ers signed Brian Westbrook to backup Frank Gore.
Quarterbacks: We all know about Minnesota’s quarterbacks but what about San Francisco? Yes, the 49ers have Alex Smith as the starter but he does nothing to get you excited. Backup David Carr puts you to sleep even more. San Francisco is taking a long look at Nate Davis who they took in last year’s draft. They are even considering giving him some work this week early in the game so he gets in with the starters. Last year he was great in the preseason and last week he was five of six for 84 yards. He won’t win the starting job since the 49ers are stuck with Smith for now but he could put pressure on Carr for the backup job.
There should be an over/under on how many times Brett Favre’s name is mentioned on Sunday night. NBC will inundate us with Favre references all night long but hey, he is big news this week and the network is going to take full advantage.