Cardinals vs. 49ers Point Spread: NFL Week 18 Odds, Prediction
The Niners are 14.5-point favourites on the NFL odds.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
It absolutely benefits the Cardinals to lose this game to finish 4-13 and get the highest first-round pick possible in the 2023 draft. This will be final NFL game for Arizona defensive end JJ Watt, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year (with Houston) and sure-fire future Hall of Famer. Watt, who has 10.5 sacks this year, will retire at age 33. He had numerous injuries in his career.
San Francisco is the NFC West champion and will be no worse than the third seed in the postseason (probably No. 2). It could earn the No. 1 overall with a win here and a Philadelphia Eagles home loss to the New York Giants, which is pretty unlikely.
The Niners go for the season sweep as they routed the Cardinals 38-10 on a Monday night in Mexico City in Week 11 – technically an Arizona home game. Jimmy Garoppolo was still San Francisco’s QB then and had four TD passes (two to George Kittle). He’s out now. The Cards used both Colt McCoy and Trace McSorley at QB and neither was very good.
Arizona is 7-2-1 ATS in the past 10 meetings.
Arizona Cardinals
It is fully expected this will be the last game as coach of the Cardinals for Kliff Kingsbury, who always was a curious hire in the first place after a mediocre NCAA coaching career. The Cards are 28-36-1 in his tenure, and Kingsbury and star QB Kyler Murray (out for season) apparently aren’t always on the same page, either. Arizona lost its sixth straight game on Sunday, 20-19 in Atlanta. Journeyman backup QB David Blough, recently signed off the Vikings’ practice squad, made his first start of the year and was 24-for-40 for 22 yards with a TD. It’s not year clear if Blough or usual No. 2 Colt McCoy will start here as McCoy has been dealing with a concussion. Star receiver DeAndre Hopkins was a late scratch with a knee injury. No reason to play him here. The Cards are 1-7 ATS in their past eight vs. the NFC West.
San Francisco 49ers
One wonders if Coach Kyle Shanahan will be scoreboard watching on Sunday in terms of possibly pulling his starters early. While getting the NFC’s top seed might be unlikely, earning the No. 2 is obviously important because it then guarantees two home playoff games (assuming win in first one) instead of one. San Francisco has overtaken Philadelphia as the betting favourite to win the NFC and won its ninth in a row Sunday, 37-34 in OT at Las Vegas. Mr. Irrelevant QB Brock Purdy stayed unbeaten as a starter by throwing for 284 yards and two TDs. Christian McCaffrey has been playing at an MVP level since the trade from Carolina and had 121 yards and a TD rushing and six catches for 72 yards. That trade may have won the Niners the Super Bowl. The nine-game winning streak is the franchise’s longest since an 11-game run in 1997. San Francisco is 7-0 ATS in its past seven vs. the NFC West.
ARI
SF