The 49ers (7-0) will try to go through the first half of their 2019 NFL season when they travel to face the Cardinals (3-4-1) on "Thursday Night Football" (8:20 p.m. ET, Fox, NFL Network, Amazon Prime Video). San Francisco has played only one NFC West division game so far, beating Los Angeles. So has Arizona, losing to Seattle.
The Cardinals have struggled offensively of late against a tough schedule and will be without running backs David Johnson and Chase Edmonds against a very tough 49ers defense, needing to turn to a committee led by newly acquired Kenyan Drake. The 49ers are rolling with their deep backfield, led by Tevin Coleman, who had four TDs against the Panthers.
Here's everything to know about betting on 49ers vs. Cardinals in Week 9, including updated odds, trends and our prediction for "Thursday Night Football."
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49ers vs. Cardinals odds for 'Thursday Night Football'
- Spread: 49ers by 10.5
- Point total: 43
- Odds: 49ers -102, Cardinals -108
The 49ers have been solid double-digit favorites since blowing out the Panthers at home, on the heels of the Cardinals being routed by the Saints on the road. Nothing has to give here as Arizona is having trouble scoring points and San Francisco is giving up few.
49ers vs. Cardinals all-time series
The 49ers still lead the series, but it's a lot closer than you expect at 29-26. There's a good reason why: Arizona is riding an incredible four-year, eight-game winning streak to close the gap. Before then, San Francisco was on a 10-2 run. Coach Kyle Shanahan is looking for his first win in the rivalry, as is obviously rookie counterpart Kliff Kingsbury.
Three trends to know
— 63 percent of the bettors like the 49ers to cover their big number after they posted a 51-13 victory last week, despite this being a short week on the road.
— 52 percent of bettors like the point total to go over, largely because they have faith the 49ers could do most of the damage themselves again.
— The 49ers are 5-2 against the spread this season. The Cardinals are 5-3.
Three things to watch
Colemen staying hot
The Cardinals are No. 25 against the run, allowing on average 130.1 yards per game at 4.7 yards per carry. Coleman just rushed for 105 yards and 3 TDs on only 11 carries last week against the Panthers, who are now the No. 27 rush defense. With Matt Breida and Raheem Mostert hurting, Coleman should see a big workload and be efficient again.
Kittle vs. the Cards, too
The Cardinals are the worst team in the NFL in covering the tight end. They allow on average 7 catches for 88 yards and a TD to the position per game. Kittle dropped 6 for 86 on the Panthers and should have scored had it not been for penalties in the end zone. Nothing has to give here, either.
Murray's slump
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray, the first overall pick in the No. 1 draft, has gone without a touchdown pass in four of the past five games. The 49ers, led by the pass rush of No. 2 rookie overall pick Nick Bosa, haven't allowed a passing TD since Week 3 vs. the Steelers.
Stat that matters
Jimmy Garoppolo, the 49ers' starting quarterback, is remarkably 15-2 as a starter in the NFL. He has never played against the Cardinals as a member of the 49ers, a reason why Shanahan doesn't have a win in the series yet. But Garoppolo did make his first start as a Patriot in Arizona, throwing for 264 yards and a TD in a 23-21 Week 1 win in 2016.
49ers vs. Cardinals prediction
The 49ers will want to shorten this game with the run as much as possible so they can go and enjoy a mini-bye as quickly as possible. The Cardinals like to run a lot of plays with Murray, but it will be hard when he's not on the field much and plenty of drives stall with no running game to help. This should be a cruising but not crushing road win for San Francisco.
49ers 24, Cardinals 10
