San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals Week 9 Pick

By Rich Crew

The shockingly good 49ers bring their 7-0 record to Arizona to take on the Cardinals on Thursday night at State Farm Stadium. The NFL betting board shows a consensus line of SF -10 and a total line of either 42.5 or 43 depending on where you bet.

Betting Overview

San Francisco comes into this game off a 51-13 beat down as a smallish -4.5 favorite of a decent Carolina team. This victory was their seventh straight on the season, and this wasn’t a Pats-like run up the score; the 49ers led 27-3 at the half out-yarding the Panthers 254-76. On the season, the 49ers have compiled a 5-2 against the spread mark and a 2-5 versus the O/U line.

Arizona had a tough go of it last week against a tough Saints defense losing 31-9 as -12.5 dog. The nine points scored was the offenses lowest output on the season, and the 237 combined offensive yards were also the fewest gained. On the season, the Cards are a money-making 5-3 versus the spread line and 4-4 on the total line.

What’s the Public Betting

The public is decidedly on the 49ers (68%), and after the slam down of the Panthers, I wouldn’t have expected anything different. The OVER, as is usually the case with Joe Public, is taking most of the action with 69% on that side of the line.

Team vs. Team History

The Cardinals took both ends of the home and home series last season, winning at home 18-15 and on the road 28-18 and cashing their backers’ tickets in both. The two wins extended Arizona’s winning streak to eight games in this series, during which they put together a 5-3-1 ATS mark.

Key Injury Notes

The 49ers’ top running back Matt Breida left their last game with an ankle injury. Back-up Tevin Coleman stepped in and was outstanding running for 105 yards on 11 carries and three TDs and catching two passes for 13 yards and one TD. For the record, M. Breida didn’t practice on Tuesday and should be considered questionable.

The Cards are expected to be without No. 1 RB David Johnson and No. 2 Chase Edwards. Arizona was so thin in the backfield that they went out and traded for Miami’s RB Kenya Drake. The Ex-Dolphin has compiled 174 rushing yards on 47 carries, but his strength may be as a third-down back with 16 catches for 103 yards.

Get more details: San Fran at Arizona NFL Match-up Stats

49ers vs. Cardinals Prediction 11/31/19

The 49ers haven’t beaten the Cardinals since 2014, so sure that may give them the motivation needed to cover this spread. That said, they are coming off a complete massacre of the Panthers, have a short week to come down to earth, and have an important foe in Seattle on deck. The total is the way to play this game. San Francisco ranks second in the league in scoring defense, allowing 11 points per game and first in total yards allowed per game (224.4). The 49ers are all about running the ball, and while Tevin Coleman looked fantastic in place of M. Breida, it was one game. The Cards’ most glaring weakness on defense is in the secondary, and that is not something that SF hasn’t proven that they can exploit. Arizona scored nine points last week against the Saints; the third time this season that they have scored 17 or fewer points. My numbers have the Niners scoring 20 to 23 points and the Cards 10 to 14.

Free Pick: Take the UNDER 43