When the NFL season began, few would have bet the Cardinals (7-9) would enter Week 18 of the season with a better record than the 49ers (6-10). Expected to be the top seed in the NFC playoffs, the 49ers have witnessed one star after another go down with serious injuries. As a result, they are closer to the top of the NFL Draft than any playoff position let alone the top seed.
As you can surmise from their records, neither of these teams has anything other than draft position on the line this Sunday.
Brock Purdy (elbow) is the latest casualty. He is expected to miss the season finale. Josh Dobbs will start in his place. The well-traveled veteran will be making his first start of the season.
Kyler Murray has started all 16 games for the Cardinals in his first full season back following knee surgery a couple seasons ago. The veteran has led the Cardinals through an up and down campaign that has seen Arizona lose 3 of 4 to open the season to then win 4 straight before now losing 5 of their last 6.
A good sweat in Week 18 can be following player props associated with player contract incentives. Here are a handful for each of these teams:
- Arizona QB Kyler Murray is 50 rushing yards and 1 rushing TD away from a 750K salary escalator.
- Arizona DE Zaven Collins needs 1 sack to reach a 300K bonus.
- San Francisco DE Leonard Floyd needs 1.5 sacks for a one-million-dollar bonus.
- San Francisco WR Deebo Samuel needs 2 TDs for a 150K bonus
Let’s dive in and find an additional sweat or two in this game.
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Game details and how to watch 49ers at Cardinals
· Date: January 5, 2025
· Time: 4:25 PM ET
· Site: State Farm Stadium
· City: Glendale, AZ
· TV/Streaming: FOX
Latest Game Odds for 49ers at Cardinals
The latest odds courtesy of DraftKings:
· Moneyline: San Francisco 49ers (+164), Arizona Cardinals (-198)
· Spread: Cardinals -4
· Total: 42.5
The 49ers actually opened as a 1-point favorite, but the line has moved to Arizona from jump street. At the same time, the Total has plummeted, moving 4 points.
Expert picks & predictions for 49ers at Cardinals
NBC Sports Bet Best Bets
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NFL calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, betting trends, and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Sunday’s 49ers at Cardinals’ game:
- Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Cardinals on the Moneyline.
- Spread: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play ATS.
- Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the UNDER on the Game Total of 42.5.
Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of 49ers at Cardinals on Sunday
· The 49ers are 5-11 ATS this season
· The 49ers are 9-7 to the OVER this season
· The Cardinals are 10-6 ATS this season
· The Cardinals are 7-7-2 to the OVER this season
· The Cardinals knocked off the 49ers 25-24 in Week 5
· The Cardinals have not swept the season series against the 49ers since 2021
· Kyler Murray is 3-4 in his career against San Francisco
Quarterback Matchup for 49ers at Cardinals
- San Francisco 49ers: Joshua Dobbs – with Brock Purdy sidelined (elbow), the veteran backup will make his first start of the season. Dobbs has appeared in 2 games this season and thrown just 4 passes completing 3 for 35 yards.
- Arizona Cardinals: Kyler Murray – the veteran has thrown at least 1 TD pass in 4 of the last 5 games and in all but 3 games this season. For the season he is completing 68.6% of his passes.
49ers at Cardinals Injury Report
· San Francisco DE Nick Bosa (knee) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
· San Francisco WR Deebo Samuel (ribs) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
· San Francisco QB Brock Purdy (elbow) is doubtful for Sunday’s game.
· San Francisco CB Deommodore Lenoir (shoulder) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
· San Francisco CB Isaac Yiadom (pelvis) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
· San Francisco S Ji’Ayir Brown (ankle) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
· San Francisco TE George Kittle (ankle) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
· Arizona OT Kelvin Beachum (knee) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
· Arizona CB Sean Murphy-Bunting (toe) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
· Arizona OL Darius Robinson (calf) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
· Arizona LB Mack Wilson (ankle) is questionable for Sunday’s game.
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