San Francisco 49ers vs Arizona Cardinals 12/26/2020 NFL Odds, Preview and Prediction

The San Francisco 49ers look to play the spoiler’s role on the day after Christmas as they visit the Arizona Cardinals at the State Farm Stadium.

San Francisco is out of the playoff race at 5-9 on the season. Injuries have been the main reason for the 49ers’ disappointing season. Nick Mullens has started in eight of those games and has just won two. The 49ers are coming off an 8-point loss to the Dallas Cowboys last week. Arizona is hoping to barge into the postseason this year. The Cardinals have won three in a row and at 8-6, they currently hold the final playoff spot in the NFC. With two games left to play, the Cardinals look to take advantage of this very winnable game to inch closer to clinching a playoff berth.

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers have lost three straight games and last week, they dropped an 8-point contest to the Dallas Cowboys. In that game, San Francisco’s defense was terrible as they allowed the Cowboys to score 41 points while not forcing a single turnover. They are already out of playoff contention and are merely playing to play spoilers against their division rivals Cardinals who are eyeing a playoff spot.

Nick Mullens has passed for 2,437 yards with 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Raheem Mostert is their leading rusher at 521 yards on 104 carries but he has been shut down for the season with an ankle injury. Rookie wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has taken advantage of the injuries and has showed up with 59 catches for 733 receiving yards with 5 touchdowns.

San Francisco is the 10th best passing team in the NFL at 258.6 passing yards per game. They are only 17th on the ground with an average of 112.6 rushing yards per contest. The 49ers are 20th in scoring at only 23.8 points per game scored and they are allowing opponents to score 25.1 points per game this season.

What are the Moneyline Odds?

49ers

+195

Cardinals

-225

Odds from BetOnline as of 12/24/2020

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are hoping to make the playoffs this year. Arizona currently holds the final playoff place in the NFC with only two games left to play. The Cardinals are playing great football right now and they have won their last two games. Last week, the Cardinals beat the Philadelphia Eagles by seven points to improve to 8-6 on the season.

Kyler Murray has thrown for a total of 3,637 passing yards with 26 touchdowns on the season with 11 interceptions. Kenyan Drake has rushed for 874 yards with 9 touchdowns on 211 carries while Arizona has the best receiver in the league in DeAndre Hopkins who has caught 103 passes for 1,324 receiving yards with seven touchdowns.

Arizona has the league’s 10th most prolific offense at 27.9 points per game scored. They are 4th overall on the ground with an average of 147.8 rushing yards per contest. The Cardinals are 15th in the NFL in passing at 251.4 yards per outing. Their defense allows the 11most points at only 23.5 points per game this season.

Who Wins?

San Francisco is 1-5 SU in their last six games played. The 49ers are 11-5 SU in their last 16 games played on the road, but 1-5 ATS in their last six games against the NFC. Arizona is 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played. The Cardinals are 3-2 SU in their last five games played at home and are 3-9 SU in their last 12 games played against the NFC West division. Head to head, the Cardinals are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games played against the 49ers. Arizona is also 5-1 SU when playing at home against San Francisco.

The 49ers have endured an injury-filled season. At quarterback, Nick Mullens will make his ninth start of the season and he is just 2-8 with 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in that capacity. But while Mullens has been ordinary, rookie wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has excelled with 733 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 10 games played. Defensively, San Francisco has been good despite the injuries.

The Cardinals have an explosive offense and they rank fourth in the league in pressure percentage, third in QB pressures, and 10th in hurry percentage. The Arizona pass rush was impressive against the Eagles last week where they sacked Jalen Hurts six times. On offense, it has been DeAndre Hopkins who has starred for the team as he leads the league with 1,324 receiving yards and 103 catches with still two games left to play. The Cardinals are hanging on to the final playoff spot in the NFC and face back to back division rivals in their last two assignments.

The 49ers have been saddled with injuries this season and 5-9, there isn’t much to play for. Arizona meanwhile is still fighting for the playoffs and they are playing at home. The Cardinals’ defense has continued to improve over the course of the season. I like the home team to pick up the win here.

Prediction: Arizona Cardinals

Other Bets To Make

The 49ers are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games played. San Francisco is 1-5 ATS in their last six games against the NFC. The Cardinals are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games played. Arizona is 4-2 ATS in their last six games against the NFC, and 4-1 ATS in their last five Week 16 games played. Head to head, the Cardinals are 6-3-1 ATS in their last 10 games played against the 49ers.

What are the Spread Odds?

49ers

+5 (-113)

Cardinals

-5 (-107)

Odds from BetOnline as of 12/24/2020

These are two teams trending in opposite directions. Arizona looks like they are peaking at the right time with back to back wins. Meanwhile, the 49ers have dropped three in a row heading to this contest. Not only do the Cardinals have more motivation to win this game, but San Francisco will also be without its starting QB and starting running back here. Arizona has a much healthier team and they have the momentum. I think they win this game by at least a touchdown.

Prediction: Cardinals -5

The total has gone under in six out of the last 10 conference games played by the 49ers. The over is also 3-2 in their last five conference games played on the road. San Francisco has seen the total go over in five out of their last seven December games. The total has gone over in each of the last five home games played by the Cardinals. Arizona has seen the total go over in four out of their last six December games. Head to head, the over is 2-1 in the last three meetings between these two teams.

The San Francisco offense has struggled this year, scoring 25 or fewer points in each of their last six assignments. The 49ers will hit this game minus their starting QB and running back so the offense isn’t going to get any better. Arizona has an explosive offensive arsenal but won’t have to flex it against a decimated 49ers offense. I think the Cardinals will get to their average but the 49ers won’t help them breach the total.

Prediction: Under 49

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