The San Francisco 49ers (6-10) visit the Arizona Cardinals (7-9). Both are playing out the season after fading late and blowing their chance to make the postseason. Our 49ers vs Cardinals prediction is for favored Arizona to cover the 4.5-point spread.
Head to head, San Francisco leads with a record of 36-30.
Offshore Odds: Arizona Favored Over Depleted San Francisco
| Team | Spread | Money Line | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 49ers | +4.5 (-110) | +190 | O 43 (-110) |
| Cardinals | -4.5 (-110) | -220 | U 43 (-110) |
Brock Purdy is Out for San Francisco
The 49ers put on an impressive show in their Monday Night Football loss to the Lions. Although the game meant nothing to either team, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan knew Detroit’s Dan Campbell would go all out, so he and his players responded in kind. Expect them to continue trying to win in Week 18.
But quarterback Brock Purdy injured his elbow and is out. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel is also out with injured ribs. Tight end George Kittle is questionable. Defensive end Nick Bosa is expected to play.
The 49ers have lost three straight and are looking toward the offseason when many questions need to be addressed. There has been silly speculation about Shanahan’s job status. Firing him would be foolish.
Purdy is another matter. At some point, he’s going to want to get paid. They can simply renew his contract, but people will inevitably get in his ear and suggest he hold out of training camp until he’s paid. That would be a mistake.
Shanahan undoubtedly respects the work Purdy has done, but he also comes from the mindset that his system can maximize limited quarterbacks…like Purdy. This will be the key issue for them to face.
As for this game, it’s meaningless. But backup Josh Dobbs is pretty good. So they should be competitive.
Arizona’s Promising Season Unraveled Quickly
After 10 games, the Cardinals were one of the NFL‘s biggest surprises at 6-4 and challenging for the NFC West title. Since then, they have lost five of six with their lone win coming over the Patriots.
While it would be easy for Arizona to just give up with one game remaining, head coach Jonathan Gannon is emphasizing that the team continue to play hard. Quarterback Kyler Murray, running back James Conner, wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride, and safety Budda Baker are expected to play.
Arizona beat San Francisco 24-23 on the road in Week 5.
They are set to be in the middle of the pack in the draft, so losing doesn’t change much. They would certainly like to sweep the season series over the 49ers.
49ers vs Cardinals Prediction: Arizona Ends on a High Note
Arizona is playing to win and San Francisco is missing many of its top players. The Cardinals should win and cover the 4.5-point spread.
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