Two .500 preseason teams will square off on Friday Night at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, as the San Francisco 49ers host the LA Chargers! 

 

Both teams are expected to be playoff-caliber teams this season as the Los Angeles Chargers have an over/under win total of 9.5 wins while the San Francisco 49ers have an over/under win total of 11.5 wins which is also tied with the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs for the highest win total in the NFC. 

The 49ers have the luxury of playing in what would be considered a less-than-stellar division that features the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams both of which are expected to be two of the worst teams in the NFL this year.

Los Angeles has split their first two games of the preseason after defeating the Los Angeles Rams in week 1 by a score of 34-17 and losing at home to the New Orleans Saints by a score of 17-22. The Chargers will be looking to finish the preseason with a winning record by defeating the 49ers in week 3. 

Los Angeles is averaging 25.5 points per game in the preseason while averaging 314 total yards per game and averaging 180.5 passing and 167 rushing yards per game. Elijah Dotson has been the standout in the preseason at running back averaging 9.42 yards per carry with 12 attempts for 113 yards and two touchdowns. 

Easton Stick has also been impressive at the quarterback position completing 35 of 62 attempts for 342 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 75 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, however, his roster spot remains up in the air as Max Duggan is likely the backup to Justin Herbert and it will depend on how other teams hand their quarterback position as to whether or not he makes the final roster heading into week 1.

The 49ers had a pitiful week 1 performance in the preseason on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders as they only managed to score seven points in a 7-34 blowout loss, however, they managed to squeak out a win in week 2 at home against the Denver Broncos by a score of 21-20. The passing game played a key part in the win as Trey Lance and Sam Darnold combined for 282 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in the win. Brock Purdy has not seen a lot of play in the preseason as he is likely the starting quarterback for San Francisco this season but has completed four of five attempts for 65 yards.

BookMaker has the San Francisco 49ers listed as 7.5-point favorites at home in week 3 of the NFL Preseason against the Los Angeles Chargers. However, the Chargers have been the better team overall in the last eight games in the series, winning five of the previous eight and two of the last three games while also going 2-1 ATS in those matchups. 

Both teams are talented and will likely be playoff-caliber teams this season, however, the Chargers have been the better team most recently in the series winning two of the last three games and going 2-1 ATS in those matchups which is why I am buying the .5 point and taking the Los Angeles Chargers +8 on BookMaker for this matchup on Friday night.