NFL odds: How lines changed after 49ers announced Brock Purdy concussion
The spread for Sunday's game between the San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals changed quickly on Wednesday -- but it may not have moved as much as you would think.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan dropped a bomb on reporters when he revealed in his mid-week press conference that starting quarterback Brock Purdy had to enter the league's concussion protocol. Shanahan said the young QB started showing symptoms on the flight home from Minnesota after the 49ers 22-17 loss to the Vikings on Monday night.
Purdy's admission into concussion protocol means that Sam Darnold could be under center in Santa Clara on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals — in a game where DraftKings previously listed the home team as a 5.5-point favorite.
Just how much has that line changed since news broke about Purdy?
The news didn't completely upend San Francisco's odds and now has them listed as a 3.5-point favorite to cover the spread and a -166 favorite on the moneyline to top Cincinnati on Sunday.
Those odds definitely changed, but likely not as much as bettors presumed given that Darnold could be getting his first start of the season. He hasn't started since his tumultuous turn with the Carolina Panthers last season when he went 4-2-0 over six starts and totaled 1143 passing yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions.
One thing going for Darnold is that he played last year with current league rushing leader Christian McCaffrey. If Darnold has to play on Sunday and is off to a rocky start, CMC may be taking on an even heavier workload than he has in previous weeks.
It does look, however, like the 49ers are still holding out hope that Purdy will exit concussion protocol in time to suit up on Sunday against the Bengals.
Stay tuned to see if Purdy is able to start in Week 8 -- and if those betting odds shift yet again.
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