Cardinals vs. 49ers Prediction
Which struggling football team will pick up a needed win on Sunday when the San Francisco 49ers play host to the Arizona Cardinals at 4:05PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Arizona is favored on the road, as the Cardinals are getting odds of -2.5 points against the 49ers. The over/under total has been set at 39.5 points. The Cardinals have won five straight meetings with the 49ers, but San Francisco has covered the spread in three of the last four. The public betting in this one has Arizona getting 61 percent of the wagers on the road. Sunday’s game takes place from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clare, California and will air live on FOX.
The Cardinals are coming off a 33-0 loss to the Rams in London two weeks ago to fall to 3-4 on the season. Arizona is just 1-6 against the spread this year, failing to cover away from home. The Cardinals suffered another big loss in the game as Carson Palmer broke his left arm that has put him on IR. Drew Stanton will take over an offense that is averaging 17 points and 355.4 yards per game. Stanton has thrown for 66 yards on 5 of 14 passing in his limited action. Arizona has one of the worst rushing attacks in the league, posting just 63.4 yards per game on the ground. Adrian Peterson is the leading rusher for the team with 155 yards despite playing in just two games with Arizona. Larry Fitzgerald has 45 catches for 494 yards and three touchdowns to be the team’s leading receiver. Defensively, Arizona has taken a step back this season. The Cardinals are giving up 27.3 points and 365.1 yards per game. Chandler Jones has eight sacks this year to lead the unit, but the rest of the team has a combined five.
San Francisco is coming off a 33-10 loss to the Eagles in Philadelphia last week to fall to 0-8 on the season. The 49ers are 4-4 against the spread, but just 1-3 ATS in their last four. It’s been a busy week for the 49ers, as they traded for Patriots backup QB Jimmy Garappolo in hopes to improve their QB play. He isn’t expected to suit up this week but San Fran is averaging just 16.6 points and 332.3 yards per game. The team tried out C.J. Beathard at QB in recent weeks, but he has 647 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Beathard is also completing just 52.7 percent of his passes. Pierre Garcon has been the leading receiver with 40 catches for 500 yards, but he is out for the rest of the season with a neck injury. Carlos Hyde has 453 rushing yards and four touchdowns to lead the offense. However, the entire unit will also be without starting LT Joe Staley, who broke his orbital bone last week. Defensively, San Francisco is allowing 27.4 points and 395.4 yards per game.
This game is puzzling due to all the injuries and missing pieces. San Francisco is a mess on offense and Beathard isn’t likely to move the ball on anyone, even the Cardinals. Arizona is missing a lot on offense, but the Cardinals still have playmakers on defense and I think that will be the difference. Whether it be a Jones strip sack or a Patrick Peterson pick-6, I expect Arizona to get some turnovers that lead to points and allow Arizona to come away with a cover.
NFL WEEK 9 PREDICTION: ARIZONA CARDINALS -2.5