San Francisco 49ers @ San Diego Chargers Thursday Night Pick

San Francisco 49ers @ San Diego Chargers Thursday Night Pick: I’ve been a 49er apologist for much of the season, but in the final days of my favorite NFL coach (Singletary was my favorite players growing up) I just can’t get behind his team in this one. The 49ers have been a team that steps up against their strongest foes since Mike stepped in, but during their current 4-2 winning clip, the 49ers have struggled to finish off the good teams. Tampa Bay shut them out 21-0 while the Packers ended up winning by 18 in Green Bay. The Chargers are tougher defensively than both those teams, and they can put up points like the Packers. If this game didn’t mean a lot to the Chargers, I would consider San Francisco here –but with one of the best defenses in the league and in must-win mode from here on out, the Chargers are my pick on Thursday Night in what should be yet another ugly Thursday-Night-Game.

As I mentioned, the 49ers come in 4-2 in their last 6, coming right off a dominant performance over the Seattle Seahawks. The 49ers trusted Alex Smith to take the starting job again, and he rewarded his coaches, putting up 3 touchdown passes and taking care of the football. But their last 4 wins are against teams with records under .500, and they’ve been outmatched by winning teams.

San Diego was bound to turn things around – and they have. After having the #1 offense and #1 defense and still holding onto a losing record, the Chargers have won 5 of their last 6 and come in with a 7-6 record and a chance to catch the Chiefs for the division lead. I expect them to follow Philip Rivers to the promise land in this one. San Fran is solid against the run, but there are holes in their secondary. Rivers should have Floyd, Vincent Jackson, and probably Antonio Gates – that should mean a double digit win at home.

San Francisco 49ers @ San Diego Chargers (-8.5)