Cardinals vs. 49ers Total Pick
Will the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals struggle to muster much offense when the two NFC West foes meet 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 and the two have hit the under in five of their last seven encounters. The public betting in this one has Arizona getting 62 percent of the wagers on the road. Today’s game takes place from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clare, California and will air live on FOX.
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 with the over/under total this season, but have hit the over in three of their last four games. San Francisco traded for Patriots backup QB Jimmy Garappolo this week in hopes to improve their QB play. He isn’t expected to suit up today but San Fran will likely need to see what he can do soon. The team is averaging just 16.6 points and 332.3 yards per game. The 49ers have 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.
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 5-2 with the under this season. More unders may be coming, as the Cardinals suffered another big loss in the game against the Rams 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.
I don’t see either team moving the ball too well this week. I know neither defense is anything to write home about, but the offensive struggles outweigh the defense. Stanton is capable of good games, but he doesn’t have a lot of great weapons. The 49ers can’t count on Beathard for much of anything and the San Fran run game isn’t good enough to make up for his struggles.
NFL WEEK 9 PREDICTION: CARDINALS/49ERS UNDER 39.5