The Arizona Cardinals are 3-4-1 on the season and currently sit in 4th place in the NFC West. They were on a 3 game win streak after going 0-3-1 to start the season. However, that streak ended last week in New Orleans against the 7-1 Saints with the return of hall of fame quarterback Drew Brees. They lost the game 31-9 and couldn’t get anything going offensively. The Cardinals are definitely still in the playoff hunt. It would be huge if they could find a way to beat the division rival San Francisco 49ers. The Cardinals 3 wins have come against teams with a combined record of 3-18, which doesn’t inspire much confidence in them. Not to mention these 3 wins came by a combined score of 10 points. Now they will be going on the road against one of the best teams in the entire NFL. This will be another big test for the Arizona Cardinals.
Arizona Cardinals Key Statistics
The Cardinals are led by rookie quarterback and number 1 overall pick Kyler Murray. He has 1,988 yards passing with 7 touchdowns and 4 interceptions through the first 8 games of his career. He was held to just 220 passing yards and no touchdowns last week. Leading rusher David Johnson has had a quiet year compared to what we’re used to seeing from him. He has 615 scrimmage yards with 5 total touchdowns. However, he is a game time decision and it is looking like he might not suit up for this week 9 matchup. Backup running back Chase Edmonds got the start last week and had just 7 carries for an abysmal 8 yards. He is going to have another rough game this week against the rush defense of the San Francisco 49ers. Larry Fitzgerald is once again their leading receiver, with 447 yards and 2 touchdowns so far this season. He had just 2 catches for 8 receiving yards last week Vs the Saints.
2019 Offense: 21.2 Points Per Game (19th in the NFL)
2019 Defense: 27.9 Points Per Game (29th in the NFL)
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are undefeated this season, with a 7-0 record. They are coming off of a 51-13 dismantling of the Carolina Panthers. Panthers quarterback Kyle Allen hadn’t thrown an interception all year, but threw 3 in this game. The 49ers had 388 total yards while holding the Panthers offense to just 230 total yards. This has been the theme all year for the San Francisco 49ers. Their defense has been incredible and are ranked 2nd in the league in points per game, and 2nd in the league in yards allowed per game, at just 223.5 yards. The New England Patriots hold the top spot by just 9.6 yards, with 224.4 yards allowed. This is a huge turnaround for the 49ers compared to last season when they gave up 27.2 points per game and 346.6 yards allowed per game. The San Francisco 49ers are 1st in the NFC West division after finishing 3rd last season with a 4-12 record. However, quarterback Jimmy Garropolo is back this year after an injury last season.
San Francisco 49ers Key Statistics
Starting quarterback Jimmy Garropolo hasn’t had to do much this year because of how well they have run the ball and how the defense has played. He has 1,489 passing yards with 9 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. The 49ers have a nice 1-2 punch at running back with Matt Breida and Tevin Coleman. Breida has 446 yards rushing, while Coleman has 332 yards rushing. Tevin Coleman had an amazing game Vs the Carolina Panthers, with 118 scrimmage yards and 4 touchdowns. The San Francisco 49ers are 2nd in the NFL with an amazing 181.1 rushing yards per game. Tight end George Kittle is their leading receiver with 40 receptions for 462 yards and 1 touchdown. He is arguably the best tight end in the league, except for perhaps Travis Kelce of the Chiefs. The 49ers just made an intriguing trade to upgrade at wide receiver. They acquired the ultra talented Emmanuel Sanders from the Denver Broncos and had his first touchdown as a 49er, but just 4 catches for 25 yards. He has 30 receptions with 392 yards and 3 touchdowns so far this season.
2019 Offense: 29.6 Points Per Game (3rd in the NFL)
2019 Defense: 11.0 Points Per Game (2nd in the NFL)
Review and Pick
The San Francisco 49ers have played incredible football and remain undefeated. This will be an important division game for the Arizona Cardinals, as they are 3-4-1 on the season and a loss here will make it tough to make the playoffs. The 49ers will harass Kyler Murray throughout this game and force him into rookie mistakes. Leading rusher David Johnson will miss this game, which hurts an already limited offense.
We are not big fans of a road team covering a big spread in a divisional game, but these teams are far apart talentwise. But Check out our gameday pick which will be posted at 3pmET. We are looking strongly at a Big Total play!