High-Scoring Cardinals Play Host to Dismal 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (2-6 SU, 2-6 ATS, 4-3-1 O/U) and Arizona Cardinals (5-3 SU, 6-2 ATS, 5-3 O/U) are headed in opposite directions as they take the field for this Monday night matchup at University of Phoenix Stadium.
While the high-scoring Cardinals have won five straight games and are coming off a solid victory in their last game, the 49ers enter this divisional showdown riding a convincing five-game losing streak with no end in sight.
The Cardinals beat the St. Louis Rams 34-13 on Sunday as quarterback Kurt Warner completed 23 of 34 passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns and explosive running back Tim Hightower added 109 yard and one touchdown on 22 carries.
Ironically, the 49ers lost to the lowly Seattle Seahawks by the exact same score, 34-13 on Oct. 26 and enter this contest well-rested after getting a bye in Week 9.
Former starting quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan passed for 131 yards with an interception for San Francisco while running back Frank Gore rushed for 94 yards on 18 carries. O’Sullivan will be replaced by backup Shaun Hill for this contest after interim head coach Mike Singletary benched O’Sullivan for the second half of their matchup with Seattle.
Hill completed 15 of 23 passes for 173 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions
“I feel like I’m a lot further along than I was in training camp,” Hill said. “Being able to sit back and watch J.T. in the offense helped as well, to kind of see some of those things in action that coach (Mike) Martz was talking about in training camp. These (last) eight weeks, I’ve continued to learn the offense, and I feel far more advanced in it now than I was back in August.”
Arizona is looking to reach the postseason for the first time in nine seasons and boasts its best mind-season record since 1984.
“We’re excited about where we are as a team,” Arizona head coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “We realize that we have a chance. But we also understand that last year at this time there were teams that were 6-2 that didn’t even sniff the playoffs. I think taking that approach is going to keep us grounded. … We’ve got only half the season behind us.”
Here is a look at the key trends for each team, followed by my in-depth analysis and NFL Free Picks.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Francisco’s last 5 games when playing on the road against Arizona
The total has gone OVER in 7 of San Francisco’s last 10 games when playing Arizona
San Francisco is 16-8 SU in its last 24 games when playing Arizona
San Francisco is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Arizona
Arizona is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Arizona’s last 5 games at home
Arizona is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Arizona is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
NFL Odds
San Francisco 49ers +9 -110
Arizona Cardinals -9 -110
Over 47 -110
Under 47 -110
Analysis: I’ll keep this pick short and to the point by saying that I genuinely believe the Arizona Cardinals have too much offensive firepower for the San Francisco 49ers! While I absolutely love ‘old-school’ 49ers head coach Mike Singletary and his no-nonsense approach with the dysfunctional 49ers team he inherited from former head coach Mike Nolan, it’s clearly going to take some time for him to get the mentality in Frisco turned around.
Take the Over first and foremost BetUS NFL Sportsbook bettors and follow that selection up with a wager on the Cardinals to cover the spread.
