The 49ers will try to avoid a trap as San Francisco heads into an NFC West battle with the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday Night Football. The Niners are the only unbeaten team in the conference at 7-0 after a decisive 51-13 victory against Carolina. It was San Francisco’s first 50-point performance since 2003 as the ground game and the defense stifled the Panthers. The Cardinals had won three in a row before running into Drew Brees and the Saints, dropping to 3-4-1 with a 31-9 loss. Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. ET in Glendale. San Francisco is a 10-point favorite in the latest 49ers vs. Cardinals odds, up from an open of eight, while the over-under for total points scored is 43. Before you make any Cardinals vs. 49ers picks, you should see the latest NFL predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up almost $7,000 for $100 players on its top-rated NFL picks since its inception four years ago. It has nailed its recent top-rated NFL picks, entering Week 9 of the 2019 NFL schedule on a strong 25-17 run that dates back to last season.
It’s also on an incredible 87-60 roll on top-rated NFL picks that dates back to the 2017 season, The model also ranked in the Top 10 on NFLPickWatch for the third year in a row on straight-up NFL picks and beat more than 96 percent of CBS Sports office pool players. Anyone who has followed it is way up.
Now, it has broken down 49ers vs. Cardinals from every angle. We can tell you it’s leaning over, but it also says one side of the spread cashes in more than 50 percent of simulations. You can only see that pick at SportsLine.
The model knows the 49ers are a long way from the team that finished 4-12 last season, when quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo missed 13 games. He has passed for 1,489 yards and nine touchdowns this season and has devastating running game to lean on. The Niners are second in the league, averaging 181.1 rushing yards per game. Tevin Coleman scampered for 103 yards and three touchdowns against the Panthers and caught a 16-yard TD pass.
Rookie defensive end Nick Bosa has made an immediate impact on the league’s top unit in total defense, allowing just 224.4 yards per game. Bosa leads the team with seven sacks and has an interception and a fumble recovery. Arik Armstead has 5.5 of the team’s 27 sacks, and the Niners are plus-four in turnover margin. Veteran cornerback Richard Sherman has three of the team’s interceptions, and K’Waun Williams has two.
But just because San Francisco dominates on both sides of the ball doesn’t mean it will cover the 49ers vs. Cardinals spread on Thursday Night Football.
The Cardinals’ defense has spent plenty of time on the field, but has the talent to keep teams in games. Linebackers Jordan Hicks and Chandler Jones are among the top defenders in the league, with Hicks ranking second in the NFL with 79 tackles. Jones is third with 8.5 sacks and has recovered three fumbles. Patrick Peterson is still an elite cornerback and has a sack, an interception and a forced fumble.
Murray showed promise before running into the Saints and has passed for 1,988 yards and seven touchdowns. Larry Fitzgerald is still the team’s top receiver, and Kenyan Drake is likely to get a significant amount of work after coming over in a trade with the Dolphins on Monday. Leading rusher David Johnson (ankle) is out, while backup Chase Edmonds is questionable after injuring his hamstring Sunday.
So who wins Niners vs. Cardinals? And which side of the spread can you bank on in over 50 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine right now to find out which side of the 49ers vs. Cardinals spread you should be all over on Thursday Night Football, all from the model that has returned over $7,000 on its top-rated NFL picks.
