Betting lines could be telling us who 49ers will start at quarterback

This is telling.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. | David Gonzales-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers are in a tough spot going into Thursday Night Football. They are banged up, they play the division rival Rams, and now they have a bit of a quarterback controversy. 

Are San Francisco 49ers going to be shorthanded at quarterback at Los Angeles Rams

When healthy, the team is going to start Brock Purdy; his contract makes that obvious. However, he is not currently fully healthy. It is not a major injury; he could play through it, but he may not be at his best. The team could turn to Mac Jones for another week. 

On their best days, most would take Purdy over Jones, but when Jones is the healthier option, is it worth going to the backup? The oddsmakers seem to think that something is up at the 49ers quarterback position. 

The spread for this game opened -3 in favor of the Los Angeles Rams, according to Vegas Insider. The Rams are home, and in this rivalry, it would be no shock if they won by a field goal. However, the spread has recently been bet all the way up to -5.5 in favor of the Rams. 

Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

It is fair to think that the Rams won and the 49ers lost, so the bettors are likely higher on what they just saw. Still, the Rams beat Indianapolis, who is now 3-1, and Jacksonville is also now 3-1. Both games were close, and with how much they put into the odds, it is hard to see this small outcome change the spread this significantly. 

There are two ways to think about this. Either the 49ers are going to play Purdy, or he is clearly hurt, and it has the money flowing in against the 49ers, as he may be turnover-prone once again. On the other end, Purdy is hurt, and they are starting Mac Jones. 

When the 49ers played the Saints, the line moved about four points in favor of the Saints. So, even if he was just a 2.5 point move, it would reflect that Jones played well in his two starts with San Francisco. It also reflects that a backup is going to be playing as well, so this could very well be the case.

If the line suddenly jumps back to the 49ers, expect a healthier version of Purdy. Until then, it looks like Mac Jones is going to start this week or Purdy is going to try to play through an injury that he should not. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. 

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