Cardinals-49ers Betting Preview: Trends, Props, Pick For Week 16 Game

It’s that time of the year, NFL fans. Yes, we have NFL football on Saturday.

The Arizona Cardinals will host the San Francisco 49ers for a Week 16 game at State Farm Stadium.

The 8-6 Cardinals possess the NFC’s third wild-card spot, meaning there’s plenty on the line for Arizona. San Francisco, on the other hand, enters with a 5-9 record and thus has been eliminated from the playoff picture.

Here’s a betting preview for Saturday afternoon’s Cardinals-49ers game:

San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals (-5)
Total: 48.5

TRENDS
The Cardinals enter Saturday .500 against the spread, but are just 3-4 ATS at home. Arizona, despite its Kyler Murray-led offense which also features DeAndre Hopkins and Kenyan Drake, has cashed in on the over just five times in 14 games this season, but all five of those wins against the line have come at home. The Cardinals tallied the third most rushing yards this season, but will go against a San Francisco defense that is seventh in rushing yards allowed per season.

While the Cardinals aren’t great ATS, the 49ers are a brutal. San Francisco is 5-9 ATS this season, including a 4-3 ATS record while on the road. The 49ers will benefit from getting tight end George Kittle back, but with a backup QB throwing him the ball (more below), are we that confident in a San Francisco offense which is 7-7 against the line this year?

PROPS
(via DraftKings Sportsbook)

First-half line, total
Arizona -3.5, 24.5

First touchdown scorer
Kenyan Drake +700
DeAndre Hopkins +750
Kyler Murray +850
Jeff Wilson +900
Chase Edmonds +1000
George Kittle +1100
Brandon Aiyuk +1100

Passing yards
Kyler Murray over/under 259.5
C.J. Beathard over/under 237.5

Rushing yards
Jeff Wilson over/under 61.5
Kenyan Drake over/under 54.5
Kyler Murray over/under 45.5

Receiving yards
DeAndre Hopkins over/under 81.5
Brandon Aiyuk over/under 61.5
George Kittle over/under 50.5
Kendrick Bourne over/under 37.5

PICK: Arizona -5
Perhaps the biggest factor in all of this is that one team has a playoff berth on the line while the other is one week closer to vacation. A very close second to that, however, is the difference in quarterback play.

One team has recent No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray while the other will look to a QB who has a 1-9 record as a starter, and who hasn’t started a game since 2018. Yes, that team is San Francisco, who will be starting 27-year-old C.J. Beathard in place of the injured Nick Mullens and Jimmy Garoppolo. Beathard has played just four games this season, throwing 45 total passes while completing 62.2 percent of them.

Lastly, the Cardinals are coming off consecutive wins over NFC East teams like the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles, and while you may think, ‘Well, for what that’s worth,’ take into account the 49ers lost to the division’s Dallas Cowboys last week.