Arizona Cardinals vs San Francisco 49ers Betting Preview
Monday night, the 5-4 49ers and the 4-6 Cardinals face off in an NFC West showdown. Can the 49ers inch closer to first place in the NFC West? Sportsmemo NFL handicapper Eric Pauly shares his thoughts and makes a free, expert Arizona Cardinals vs San Francisco 49ers Week 11 betting pick.
Arizona Cardinals vs San Francisco 49ers Betting Odds
Monday, November 21 | Monday Night Football NFL Betting Notes |
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Point Spread: | Arizona Cardinals +10 vs San Francisco 49ers |
Total: | o/u 43 Points |
Location: | Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico |
Game Time: | 8:15pm ET / 5:15pm PT (Odds Above Courtesy of DraftKings) |
TV: | ESPN |
Arizona Cardinals vs San Francisco 49ers Analysis
On Monday night, Kyler Murray will be sidelined again for the Cardinals as they take on the 49ers in a neutral field. San Fransico has been ascending over the course of the season while the Cardinals seem like one of the more disappointing teams in the NFL so far this year.
However, this Cardinals offense operates much more smoothly with Colt McCoy under center and Kliff Kingsbury has Kyle Shanahan’s number throughout their coaching careers.
Murray Must Get Offense Going
The Cardinals made a move to secure Kyler Murray with a long term deal this offseason, and so far, the Cardinals are seeing a negative return on investment. Murray has not been good when he’s been healthy this season and he is back on the injury report and will miss his second straight game.
Another huge problem for Arizona is their offensive line and this unit is old and banged up. They have allowed 27 sacks this season and this team cannot get it going.
Arizona is 12th in points for on offense but 20th in yards. Murray and McCoy are dead last in net yards per attempt and they are 19th in yards per attempt on the ground. On a per-drive basis, the Cardinals are 8th in time, 1st in plays, 15th in yards, and 20th in points.
Again, I like the outlook of this offense with McCoy more than I like it with Murray, but Arizona will be going with a game-management approach against one of the best defenses in the NFL.
Speaking of defense, the Cardinals’ defense has regressed and they are currently one of the worst units in the NFL. This defense does not create enough takeaways nor do they pressure the quarterback.
On a per-drive basis, the Cardinals’ defense is 12th in time, 19th in plays, 21st in yards, and 28th in points allowed. J.J. Watt leads the Cardinals in sacks with 5.5 but the rest of their pass rushers struggle to create pressure and get to the quarterback, giving the opposing team too much time to pick apart their struggling secondary.
49ers Efficient on Offense
The 49ers are just 5-4 but they seem to be much better than their record indicated. Since Trey Lance went down and this team went back to Jimmy Garapolo, this 49ers team seems poised to make another deep run in the NFC Playoffs.
On offense, we know what to expect from Jimmy G. and the 49ers. Jimmy G. is a game manager that takes care of the football, hits open receivers, and does not try to play hero ball.
The 49ers make their bones on the ground and they have a great rushing attack paired with a conservative passing game. The 49ers are 5th in net yards per attempt, 18th in yards per attempt on the ground, and they have allowed just 18 sacks this season.
On a per-drive basis, the 49ers’ offense is 9th in drive time, 18th in plays, 9th in yards, and 19th in points. This offense has a plethora of playmakers and can be explosive when they get into their groove.
While the 49ers are above average on offense, where they truly excel is on defense. San Francisco sports one of the best defenses in the NFL and this unit takes over games.
The 49ers are 6th in points allowed, 1st in yards allowed, 7th in net yards per attempt, and 1st in yards per attempt on the ground.
On a per-drive basis, this defense is 16th in time, 13th in plays, 4th in yards, and 4th in points. The 49ers are 3rd in the NFL in pressure rate which means they can force opposing quarterbacks into bad decisions.
This team is not perfect, but they are stout on both sides of the ball. I expect this team to come out swinging in Mexico City.
Arizona Cardinals vs San Francisco 49ers Prediction
This is an interesting game to handicap. When the number was San Fran -7.5, I would have been all over the 49ers. This team has what it takes to suffocate the Cardinals’ offense and also accumulate yardage at will against this defense.
However, I am more inclined to bet the Cardinals with 10 points and McCoy under center. Kliff Kingsbury has not done a ton well in his coaching career, but he is great against the 49ers. I expect this team to compete and keep this game within one score.
Prediction: Arizona Cardinals +10; George Kittle O 42.5 rec yards, McCaffrey U 106.5 rushing and receiving yards
Opening Line Report | NFL Week 12
Listen to Teddy Covers and Drew Martin every Monday during the NFL season as they preview opening lines for next week’s games. This Monday they previewed both games the Cardinals and 49ers will be playing in Week 12 among other games giving their expert betting analysis.
NFL Odds Board
WagerTalk’s Live Odds Screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the NFL point spreads, totals and betting percentages for all of the Week 11 games, including this Arizona Cardinals vs San Francisco 49ers showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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Meet the Author
Eric Pauly, @slimeaction on Twitter, graduated from Binghamton University with a degree in Finance. Eric is a die-hard Washington Commanders and New York Knicks fan and enjoys watching and writing about the NFL, NBA and MLB. His favorite gambling movements include hitting a +1000 future on Washington to win the NFC East in 2020 and predicting Jonathan Taylor’s breakout season with a +900 ticket for him to win the 2021 NFL rushing title. Aside from the sports betting industry, and making a brilliant Cleveland Browns vs Los Angeles Chargers betting pick, Eric also enjoys good eats, dynasty fantasy football leagues, daily fantasy sports and playing the guitar.
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