The San Francisco 49ers (6-10) and Arizona Cardinals (7-9) will face off in NFL Week 18. Kickoff is set for in 4:25 p.m. EST from State Farm Stadium in Glendale. The game will be broadcast live on FOX.
The Cardinals are 4.5-point favorites with the game total set at 44 (-110o / -110u). The Cardinals are -225 favorites to win outright, while the 49ers are +185 to pull off the upset.
Neither of these NFC West teams has anything to play for Sunday. As a result, Brock Purdy won't suit up for the 49ers and Joshua Dobbs will get the start at quarterback. Similarly, Arizona RB James Conner landed on IR and won't play in the season finale either. San Francisco has lost 6 of its past 7 while Arizona has dropped 5 of 6 heading into Week 18.
Let's get into my Cardinals vs 49ers predictions and NFL picks.
49ers vs. Cardinals Prediction, Odds, Pick
| 49ers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4.5 -105 | 42.5 -115o / -105u | +164 |
| Cardinals Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4.5 -115 | 42.5 -115o / -105u | -198 |
- 49ers vs. Cardinals spread: Cardinals -4.5 (-115 ), 49ers +4.5 (-105)
- 49ers vs. Cardinals over/under: 42.5 (-115o / -105u)
- 49ers vs. Cardinals moneyline: 49ers +164, Cardinals -198
- 49ers vs. Cardinals best bet: 1H Over 20.5
My49ers vs. Cardinals best bet is on the first-half over. For all of your NFL bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NFL odds page.
Spread
I have no pick on either side of the spread in this NFC West clash.
Moneyline
I'm also passing on the moneyline.
Over/Under
I like the over for this game. There are trends that indicate the game total over is a good play, but I'm targeting the first-half total in particular.
My Pick: 1H Over 20.5
49ers vs. Cardinals NFL Week 18 Preview
In this battle between two eliminated NFC West teams, I see some noteworthy individual spots that could impact how this game plays out.
First, Joshua Dobbs is in at QB for San Francisco in place of Brock Purdy, who's sitting out with an elbow injury. The 49ers will also be without WR Deebo Samuel, which should funnel passes toward Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall and potentially to TE George Kittle, who is questionable for this game.
Jennings, in particular, is noteworthy, as head coach Kyle Shanahan has made it clear he'd love to get Jennings 77 receiving yards to reach the 1,000-yard mark. That leads me to believe there's some value earlier in the game as Dobbs looks for Jennings through the air, which will either help move the ball in chunks or stop the clock on an incompletion.
Offensively for Arizona, QB Kyler Murray needs 50 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown for a $750,000 bonus. You know if he's in range of the end zone, he'll be looking to run it in himself.
This is also a plus matchup for Murray as San Francisco has really fallen off on defense, ranking just 18th in weighted defensive DVOA. The 49ers are also banged up while the Cardinals offense is mostly healthy.
Week 18 is also an interesting spot — over the last seven years, two eliminated teams facing off are just north of 60% to the over, and that includes a 100% rate to the over when the Luck Total is above +2.5, albeit in a limited sample size. This game meets that threshold, so I'd certainly be eyeing the over.
However, I'm going to roll with the first half over as there's more motivation early on as players still have milestones and incentives to reach before potentially being rested late as players further down the depth chart get playing time.
My Pick: 1H Over 20.5
Cardinals vs 49ers Betting Trends
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