Vegas Play of the Day: Denver Broncos vs. San Francisco 49ers

By Case Keefer (contact)

Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014 | 2 a.m.

The countdown has reached 11 days.

The first real football games begin next Thursday with a handful of college contests. The Play of the Day, which uses odds from the South Point and a $10,000 starting bankroll, will then be relieved from picking all the unnecessary preseason NFL action.

Denver Broncos at San Francisco 49ers under 41.5 points: $330 to win $300

Both these teams know they are clear Super Bowl contenders with potent offenses. Neither the Broncos nor the 49ers are going to reveal any secrets or risk their stars in a meaningless exhibition.

San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick, for example, threw one pass in his team’s debut last week. Denver’s Peyton Manning actually went to the air 13 times, but played only two drives.

No one expects him to play more than a quarter in San Francisco. This game will quickly dilute into a battle of attrition with the likes of Blaine Gabbert and Brock Osweiler trying to will spare offensive parts into the end zone.

It’s not like the defenses will be terrible either. Denver is less settled on that side of the ball and will devote at least the first half to analyzing key position battles.

San Francisco isn’t as set defensively as in the previous few years either. There are spots up for grabs, which should ramp up the intensity.

This is the highest preseason total the 49ers have seen in coach Jim Harbaugh’s four years. And it’s not a warranted adjustment, as the 49ers are 8-5 to the under in the preseason under Harbaugh.

These teams will score just fine in the regular season, which is why they won’t need to this afternoon.

Standings: Bern (42-31-1, $13,292), Keefer (35-39, $9,392), Brewer (29-43-3, $1,300)

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.