Washington Commanders vs San Francisco 49ers Week 16: Washington Commanders Are Still in Line to Get the 7th Playoff Seed

• The 7-6-1 Washington Commanders are still in line to get the 7th playoff seed

• The San Fran 49ers have a 3rd string QB Brock Purdy (aka Mr. Irrelevant) starting

• Watch Commanders vs 49ers live on Sat, Dec. 24, 2022, at 4:05 PM ET on CBS

Commanders vs 49ers Week 16 Odds

Commanders vs 49ers Week 16 Picks

POINT SPREAD: San Francisco 49ers -7.5 (-106) at FanDuel

POINTS TOTAL: Over 39.5 (-110) at BetMGM

SPECIAL: 1st Team TD San Francisco 49ers (-230) at Caesars

POINT SPREAD: San Francisco 49ers -7.5 (-106) at FanDuel

 Looks like a thrilling NFL Week 16 Saturday NFC matchup between the 7-6-1 Washington Commanders and the 10-4 San Francisco 49ers, these Commanders clinging to the last NFC Wildcard playoff slot and need more wins to ensure their postseason place while the Niners have clinched their division and therefore their postseason, each win helping their seeding a bit.

Make sure to check with the oddsmakers on team tendencies when it comes to covering the spread – they say the San Fran 49ers have covered in eight of their last nine games against NFC opponents, this multi-talented team is on a seven-game win streak thanks to the array of playmakers that next-man-up QB Brock Purdy has to lean on, not to mention the top-notch D.

One way the Commanders can keep things fairly equal would be with an effective pass rush which they are capable of right now with 34 team sacks on the season, a D-line starring DEs Montez Sweat and Chase Young (knee, questionable) with an interior that features two quarterback hunting tackles – Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen, a key group in this game.

POINTS TOTAL: Over 39.5 (-110) at BetMGM

One factor that could affect scoring this week is the level of injury to San Francisco’s secondary that’s already missing CV Jason Verrett (Achilles) but is now also dealing with three players listed as questionable – CBs Samuel Womack (concussion) and Chardarius Ward (concussion) and S Tarvarius Moore (knee), good news for Washington QB Taylor Heinicke and WR Terry McLaurin.

Check with the sportsbooks when it comes to scoring tendencies and you will find that nine of the Washington Commanders' last 12 games have gone under the total points line, which when compared to what these offenses typically produce – Washington: 18.9 ppg, San Fran: 24.1 ppg, 43 total points – the over seems to make the most sense for this Week 16 points total bet.

For those that believe this will be a defensively led matchup, the under makes more sense since the two teams combined allow an average of 34.7 points per game, that number being low due to how stingy San Fran can be thanks to the play of guys like DE Nick Bosa and FS Tashaun Gipson as DT Arik Armstead adds his pressure up the middle, a tough defense to score against.

SPECIAL: 1st Team TD San Francisco 49ers (-230) at Caesars

Here’s a fun no pressure bet from Caesars sportsbook that gets the bettor to guess which team will score the first touchdown of the game, this bet a great way for new sports bettors to jump in since even a little wager can create a relatively large payout, with a $100 bet on the Commanders to score a TD first giving winners a $150 jackpot plus the original investment returned.

We like the other side of that bet, which requires a $230 wager on the San Francisco 49ers to score the first TD in order to win back $100 plus your initial wager, a riskier bet but a more likely one to win given the number of scorers that HC Kyle Shanahan has to work with – WR Deebo Samuel, TE George Kittle, and as of late dual threat RB Christian McCaffrey, together a handful.

Here’s how these two teams break down in terms of scoring – the 49ers are 11th best after averaging 24.1 points per game and the Commanders are 25th best after scoring 18.9 points per game, this bet perhaps coming down to which team wins the opening coin flip that determines who gets the ball first – a great way to add some extra enjoyment to an already exciting NFC showdown.  

How to Watch Commanders vs 49ers

• What: Washington Commanders vs San Francisco 49ers

• Where: Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA

• When: Saturday, December 24, 2022, at 4:05 PM ET

• How: CBS