Monday Night Football Betting Odds: Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers

December 14, 2009   ·   theboss   ·   Jump to comments

The Monday Night Football tilt between the Arizona Cardinals (8-4 SU and ATS) and the San Francisco 49ers (5-7 SU, 7-3-2 ATS) is their second and final meeting of the season. The 49ers won the first 20-16 but we can expect a different result this time around.

NFL Monday Night Football Odds:

Arizona Cardinals -3½ -190 Over 44½

San Francisco 49ers +3½ +160 Under 44½

In their first matchup, the Arizona Cardinals offense was out of sync and the 49ers dominated on both sides of the ball but a lot has changed since then. The Cardinals offense that had sputtered early in the season is clicking, they are 4-0 in Kurt Warner’s last four starts (Warner missed week 13) with Warner throwing 12 TDs and no interceptions. The Cardinals offense goes as Kurt Warner goes, in their eight wins, Warner has tossed 19 TDs and only 2 interceptions and in the three losses with Warner at the helm, he threw four TDs and nine interceptions.

Arizona -3 vs San Francisco >> Join to Bet Now

The 49ers have changed their offense midseason from a Frank Gore lead, run heavy offense to a pass heavy attack lead by former number 1 draft pick Alex Smith. Smith is getting a rare second chance to revitalize his career; many experts, including me, labeled Smith a bust after flaming out in the past couple of years. In his last three games, Smith has thrown seven TDs and only a single interception for 769 yards including a career best 310 yards last week versus Seattle.

On defense, the Cardinals have been getting to the opposing quarterbacks almost 3 times a game tying them for third in the NFL. This will be bad news for the 49ers who rank in the bottom third of the NFL for protecting their passers.

The 49ers hold the 2nd best pass defense in the league and they will need to be at their best to slow the high powered Cardinals aerial assault.

The NFL Betting bottom line:

The 49ers can win if they play rough, San Francisco needs to be physical at the line of scrimmage forcing Aquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald off their routes. This will allow defensive end Justin Smith and outside linebacker Parys Haralson time to get to Kurt Warner and force him to make a bad pass or take a sack. The 49ers have been able to defend against the Cardinals as well as any team in the league over the past couple of seasons and this is a big reason why.

The Cardinals can win if they continue their strong play of late, Boldin is healthy for this one, he missed their first meeting. The 49ers will be without starting cornerback Nate Clemens and backups corners haven’t been known to make a name for themselves versus the Cardinals receivers, well not in a good way anyways.

I like the Cardinals to score at will against the 49ers who have been uncharacteristically mistake prone in their last few games. The 49ers should score enough to put the total in jeopardy.

NFL Expert Pick: Arizona Cardinals -3½ and Over 44½