What team is in first place in the National Football Conference West Division?
The four teams that comprise this division are all within one game of each other, but the team at the top may have been most people’s last choice to be leading the NFC West. It is not the San Francisco 49ers or Los Angeles Rams, or the team that opened their season with three straight wins, the Seattle Seahawks.
Nope, the NFC West leader is the Arizona Cardinals.
Their five wins include triumphs over the Rams, 49ers, Los Angeles Chargers and Chicago Bears, all teams most power ratings would have ranked higher than Johnathan Gannon’s Cardinals. In other words, the Cardinals are better than most people think.
But do you think Arizona is going to be atop this division when the playoffs start in January?
I don’t.
Then who is?
The San Francisco 49ers.
Currently, the 49ers have won only half of their eight games and suffered losses to a pair of division opponents, the Rams and Cardinals. With that as first half of the season credentials, why do we think the 49ers are likely division winners?
Because the 49ers season has been driven by two very important elements that have contributed to their four losses. First, injuries have hit this team like a hurricane in Florida ravishes a coastal town. Key players from both sides of the ball have been missing in action and the team has suffered in their absence. Second, despite the depleted roster, the 49ers have been favored in all eight of their games this season. That means, they are overrated.
Being overrated is a weight on motivation, and the 49ers have taken the brunt of that factor.
Now what?
The 49ers kickoff the second half of their regular season Sunday in Tampa against the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay is the only team this season to pin the Detroit Lions with a loss and took the only undefeated team, the Kansas City Chiefs, to overtime last Monday Night before falling to Patrick Mahomes and company. With those credentials, one might think the point spread on this game would favor the Bucs; it doesn’t.
The 49ers are favored again, this time by a point spread that looks too high to most bettors, five points.
Is this just another case of an overrated San Francisco squad being favored by too many points?
No.
This is a spot where coming off their bye week and needing to win while not perched atop their division is a perfect spot to put on display their rather immense collection of talent.
The Buccaneers, meanwhile, have lost three games in a row while playing without their two leading receivers due to injuries. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin were both knocked out of action in the Bucs loss three weeks ago to the Baltimore Ravens.
Tampa Bay gave Kansas City all they could handle on Monday night, now they get handled by their Florida visitors on Sunday.
Qoxhi Picks: San Francisco 49ers (-5) over Tampa Bay Buccaneers