Tag: 49ers prediction

Prediction and betting odds for 49ers vs. Cardinals in Week 18

Analyzing Sunday’s 49ers vs. Cardinals game with odds and lines, predictions and best bets.

The San Francisco 49ers (6-10) head to State Farm Stadium to take on the Arizona Cardinals (7-9) to close their 2024 NFL season.

The 49ers will look to end the season on an uptick before heading into an offseason with plenty of important decisions to be made. Brock Purdy’s future with the 49ers and whether or not an extension gets ironed out will be one of the primary storylines surrounding San Francisco’s offseason.

Any final evaluations of Purdy won’t happen on Sunday. Purdy is sidelined with a right elbow injury and the 49ers will turn to Joshua Dobbs as its starting quarterback.

In the two team’s first meeting this season, San Francisco built a 23-10 halftime lead before watching Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray rally the Cardinals back in the second half en route to a 24-23 Arizona victory.

As kickoff approaches, here’s a look at the betting odds, including the point spread, money line figures and the over-under point total. Plus, a prediction on how this one plays out.

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49ers vs. Cardinals game odds:

All NFL Odds via BetMGM:

  • Point spread: Arizona -4.5
  • Money line: Arizona -225 / San Francisco +185
  • Over-under: 42.5

49ers vs. Cardinals injury updates:

  • 49ers QB Brock Purdy – OUT (right elbow)
  • 49ers OL Spencer Burford – OUT (calf)
  • 49ers WR Deebo Samuel Sr. – OUT (rib, wrist)
  • 49ers DL Robert Beal Jr. – OUT (ankle)
  • 49ers DB Deommodore Lenoir – OUT (shoulder)
  • 49ers TE George Kittle – Questionable (ankle, hamstring)
  • Cardinals K Matt Prater – OUT (left knee)
  • Cardinals OT Jackson Barton – Questionable (ankle)
  • Cardinals WR Michael Wilson – Questionable (hamstring)
  • Cardinals LB Mack Wilson – Questionable (ankle, quadricep)
  • Cardinals CB Sean Murphy-Bunting – Questionable (toe)

49ers vs. Cardinals prediction, pick

Prediction: Arizona 27, San Francisco 20

Arizona has starting quarterback Kyler Murray as a go, while San Francisco will be without Brock Purdy. That’s enough to lean the Cardinals’ direction in this regular season finale.

Consider both Kyler Murray (+110) and 49ers running back Isaac Guerendo (+150) as anytime touchdown scorers. With several key pass-catchers potentially out of the equation and 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy as well, if San Francisco finds offensive success, there’s a good chance it’s Guerendo finding his way into the end zone.

49ers vs. Cardinals channel, start time, streaming:

The 49ers vs. Cardinals game starts at 1:25 p.m. PT and can be seen on Fox. Play-by-play broadcaster Chris Myers and color analyst Mark Schlereth will call the game from the booth at State Farm Stadium, with Jen Hale reporting from the sidelines.

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Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.

A 49ers-Cardinals rock fight in Arizona to close dreadful 2024 season

We talked to our friends at Cards Wire about the season finale which doesn’t mean a ton for either team.

It looked in the middle of the season like the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals may be playing for the NFC West crown in Week 18.

The opposite turned out to be true.

Both teams are eliminated from the postseason and the NFC West standings are set with the 49ers in last place. Whichever team wins Sunday at State Farm Stadium will drop in the draft, but beyond that small consolation there isn’t a ton at stake.

We checked in with our buddy Jess Root from Cards Wire to get an idea of how Arizona’s season went and what we should be watching for from the 49ers’ final opponent of the 2024 campaign:

Niners Wire: Have the Cardinals been better or worse than you expected?

Jess Root: It’s a weird mix of both better and worse. If they win on Sunday, the 8-9 record will be exactly what I predicted back in May. Big picture, they achieved what was the best-case scenario for even the most optimistic projections — they would be better and still be not quite there.They were more inconsistent offensively than I expected. They had stretches when they were way better defensively than I expected.At 6-4, I thought they were gonna finish with 10-11 wins and win the division, and then they fell apart. So it was a roller coaster of being surprised and then fully disapointed.

NW: What are your thoughts on Marvin Harrison Jr. after Year 1?

JR: Man, he can be so good. He didn’t live up to incredibly lofty hopes for him. The projections of 1,100-1,200 yards were just too much.He looks so good at times and also has looked very much like a rookie. He has not gotten on the same page as Kyler Murray consistently. He has not been as great at contested balls as expected.But he is could flirt with 900 receiving yards. He will end up with better numbers as a rookie than his Hall of Fame father and future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald. He will have nearly (if not more than) 900 yards when there he has a 100-catch, 1,100-yard teammate in Trey McBride. He will likely have the second-most receiving yards for any Cardinals rookie ever. He needs one score to match legends Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin for the most rookie touchdown catches. He’s had a pretty solid rookie campaign.I do think he needs a little more edge and “dog” to his game to take his production to the  next level. He has to want the ball with the same intensity as many of the greats, at least when it comes to attacking the football coming his way. But my guess is he will be really, really good as early as next season.

NW: How hard are we rooting against the Rams in the playoffs?

JR: Yeah, it stinks when someone in the division does well, although it does bring a little satisfaction when they do more than flame out in the first round as a sort of justification for them eliminating the Cardinals.

NW: Is Kyler Murray still the long-term answer for Arizona?

JR: There is beginning to be a little bit of doubt from the public. Thus far, that doubt has not crept into the minds of the coaches. What I try to point out is that Murray’s worst is average QB play. The ceiling is there but he isn’t hitting in consistently. And he is showing he can’t be a consistent top-five guy. But he has the tools to be great year in and year out.So as for moving on, one must tread lightly because it will be hard to do better.

NW: Who do you wanna see win the Super Bowl?

JR: I’m a Patrick Mahomes fan and, as long as it isn’t a team I actively root against, historically great things are something I love to watch. I want a three-peat. I want Mahomes to prove to everyone he’s still that guy. After that, I root for players or coaches. I like Baker Mayfield. I like Dan Campbell. I like Jayden Daniels and Kliff Kingsbury. I kind of root for Russell Wilson, even though I still have issues with wanting the Steelers to be successful.

NW: Prediction for this one.

JR: Whew this could be gross. The Cardinals are missing tackles. The 49ers will have Josh Dobbs at QB, who is only a threat if he can move. If the Cardinals can’t beat Dobbs….Anyway, the Cardinals should control this game. Cardinals 27, 49ers 19

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Prediction and betting odds for 49ers vs. Bears in Week 14

Analyzing Sunday’s 49ers vs. Bears game with odds and lines, predictions and best bets.

The San Francisco 49ers (5-7) are running out of real estate to make a run at an NFC West title and a return to the playoffs.

The 49ers welcome in the reeling Chicago Bears (4-8) to Levi’s Stadium for a Sunday afternoon date. Led by rookie quarterback and recent No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams, Chicago has lost six straight as it went spiraling out of the playoff picture.

Of those six straight losses, four have been one-score defeats. The Chicago Bears’ embarrassing clock mismanagement to end its Thanksgiving Day loss at Detroit cost head coach Matt Eberflus his job.

As San Francisco looks to snap its own three-game losing streak, here’s a look at the latest odds, including the spread, over-under and a prediction for the game.

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49ers vs. Bears game odds:

All College Football Odds via BetMGM:

  • Point spread: 49ers -3
  • Money line: 49ers -175 / Bears +145
  • Over-under: 43.5

49ers vs. Bears injury updates:

  • San Francisco LB Dre Greenlaw – OUT (Achilles)
  • San Francisco S George Odum – OUT (knee)
  • San Francisco RB Jordan Mason – OUT (ankle)
  • San Francisco LT Trent Williams – OUT (ankle)
  • San Francisco DE Nick Bosa – Doubtful (hip, oblique)
  • San Francisco LG Aaron Banks – Questionable (concussion)
  • Chicago OL Ryan Bates – OUT (concussion)
  • Chicago DB Elijah Hicks – OUT (ankle)
  • Chicago RB Roschon Johnson – OUT (concussion)
  • Chicago WR DJ Moore – Questionable (quad)
  • Chicago RB D’Andre Swift – Questionable (quad)

49ers vs. Bears prediction, pick

Prediction: San Francisco 23, Chicago 17

The 49ers have to get this game if there’s any hope of an NFC West title and a return to the playoffs.

Despite at least one key missing piece on the left side of its offensive line, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan dials up enough offense with Brock Purdy and Co. at home to pick up win No. 6 on the season and keep San Francisco in the mix.

It’s another one-score loss for the Bears.

49ers vs. Bears channel, start time, streaming:

The 49ers vs. Bears game starts at 1:25 p.m. PT and can be seen on Fox.

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Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.

Best version of 49ers season ends with unlikely Super Bowl win

Here’s what the most optimistic version of the 49ers’ season looks like:

It’s not hard to paint an optimistic picture about the San Francisco 49ers’ 2024 season.

They enter the year with the best roster in football. They’ll be almost fully intact by Week 1, and they return most of the group that won the No. 1 seed in the NFC en route to a Super Bowl trip last season. If things go according to plan, this is the year San Francisco ends its 30-year Super Bowl drought and become only the fourth team ever to lose a Super Bowl, then win it the following year. They’d join the 1971 Dallas Cowboys, 1972 Miami Dolphins and 2018 New England Patriots to do so.

So, what does the most optimistic view look like?

Quarterback Brock Purdy will be entering his second full year as a starter. He’s also coming off a full offseason where he didn’t have to rehab his surgically-repaired throwing elbow. Considering he finished fourth in MVP voting last season, the arrow is pointing up for the signal caller in 2024.

If Purdy is better, the 49ers offense is going to reach an unstoppable level. San Francisco already boasts playmakers like Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey. Sprinkling in a quarterback who makes more individually great plays outside the context of his playmakers would make head coach Kyle Shanahan’s group a juggernaut.

A better version of the 49ers’ offense would allow the team’s defense to take a step backward and still stay in Super Bowl contention. Alas, we’re in the most optimistic world here and San Francisco once again boasts the NFL’s top defense.

Defensive end depth is a concern, to be sure, but Nick Bosa would be a Defensive Player of the Year candidate and Javon Hargrave would bounce back with a Pro Bowl campaign. Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos would also provide enough rotational depth on the edges to make the 49ers’ pass rush a force like the one we saw in 2019.

This year is different though because their secondary is also loaded. Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir are both Pro Bowl candidates at cornerback, as are safeties Ji’Ayir Brown and Talanoa Hufanga. That group churns out a ton of takeaways in this universe where it all goes right.

While the 49ers may miss Dre Greenlaw alongside Fred Warner, De’Vondre Campbell looks more like his 2021 self and when Greenlaw does return he works in as the Sam LB who only plays a handful of snaps each game. Campbell is more susceptible in coverage than Greenlaw, but he’s overall a fine replacement and the 49ers don’t lose much in the linebacking corps.

All of those pieces falling into place give the 49ers a No. 1 offense and a No. 1 defense going into the playoffs. Once they’re there, their experience takes over and they steamroll their way to a Super Bowl where they finally knock off Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to earn their sixth Lombardi Trophy.

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