The 49ers will be in a strange situation Sunday.
San Francisco, which has lost 11 consecutive games since the season opener, benched its starting quarterback in an ugly loss to the Bears last weekend and is in the hunt for the worst record in the NFL for 2016, will be the favorite against the New York Jets at Levi’s Stadium.
Oddsmakers have made the 49ers 2½- to 3-point favorites over the Jets.
While the Niners have been worse than the Jets this season, the team from New York/New Jersey hasn’t been much better -- and now it has to travel cross-country. Young quarterback Bryce Petty will be making just the second start of his pro career, and his performance in a 41-10 loss to the Colts last week wasn’t encouraging. He completed just 44 percent of his passes (11-of-25) for 135 yards and a touchdown, was picked off twice and sacked once. His quarterback rating was just 41.2. The Jets, who have lost four straight, rank among the NFL’s worst offensive teams (24th overall, 27th passing) and fans and media are unhappy with head coach Todd Bowles.
There’s not much on the line in this game except pride, the hope of gaining some momentum heading toward the offseason and – for the loser – a better draft position. If adversity teaches lessons, both teams are learning a lot in 2016.
“One of the things we always talk about with sports is it teaches us certain life lessons and it brings out the best in us or exposes the worst in us,” Jets receiver Brandon Marshall told USA Today this week, about the matchup with the 49ers. “This is a great season for both teams to really mature and grow not only as a team and organization but also as men.”
After his benching against the Bears, Colin Kaepernick will be back starting at quarterback for the 49ers. But, it’s been an odd week for the Niners, who were without head coach Chip Kelly for a time because of the death of Kelly’s father. Niners wide receiver Torrey Smith says he and his teammates have given Kelly their support during this time.
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“Obviously we want to win for ourselves because it’s been way too long, but when something like tht happens, you know what it would mean to him and his family,” Smith said this week.
After Kelly returned to the team, he said he appreciated the support of the team's management and players. Despite his team’s 1-11 record, he still feels positive about his players as they head into their final games.
“I think there’s a lot of like-minded individuals here,” Kelly said. “This group likes to work. They’ve got a great work ethic. … I really enjoy coaching this group. It’s a really good group of men.”
Kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m.
