San Francisco 49ers @ Green Bay Packers Pick & Preview

San Francisco 49ers @ Green Bay Packers Pick & Preview: The 49ers beat up on the Cardinals last Monday Night, but they weren’t playing very crisp. Lots of mistakes seemed like a strong theme in that game. But Brian Westbrook came in for his first real action of the season and filled in for Frank Gore beautifully. Westy had his first good game in a long time, and I’m sure the 49ers will have a plan to get him more involved in the passing game against the Packers – because he is a mismatch for just about anybody trying to mark him out of the backfield.

Despite the mistakes, and the ease of victory over the pathetic Cardinals, the 49ers have played their best football against good teams this year. They lost to New Orleans, Atlanta, and Philadelphia by a total of 8 points – and they’ve shown that ability to step up against good teams in Singletary’s brief time ad a head coach.

I like Troy Smith as a leader for the 49ers, even if he does miss some of the passes good NFL quarterbacks absolutely can’t miss. Missing Gore in this game will be tough, but if westbrook can fill in and make some plays out of the backfield – and if Dixon can run hard between the tackles when given a chance, I think the 49ers have a chance here. They’ve been playing pretty decent ball and they have a talented team. A win here would do wonders for their chances at taking the West, and I wouldn’t put it past them.

Do I think they’ll win? No. But there’s a chance, a good enough chance to think it’s going to be close, and definitely a nice value bet getting 10 points.

San Francisco 49ers (+10) @ Green Bay Packers