Arizona Cardinals vs San Francisco 49ers Matchup

Read our 49ers vs Cardinals pick and preview for this NFL pre-season week 18 game in Glendale. Check out who we like to win and cover the spread in this regular season NFL matchup.

The 49ers and Cardinals will face off on Sunday, January 5th at 4:25 ET on FOX. The Cardinals are the favorite with a money line of -207, and the point spread favors them by -4 points. This week 18 matchup is being played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ. The over/under line is set at 42.5 points.

49ers vs. Cardinals Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NFL
Teams: San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals
Where: Glendale at State Farm Stadium
Date: Sunday, January 5th
Betting Odds ARI -4, SF +173 | ARI -207 O/U 42.5

49ers Preview:

Heading into week 18, the 49ers are looking to snap a three-game losing streak, which includes a 40-34 loss to the Lions in week 17. This dropped San Francisco to 6-10, putting them 4th in the NFC West. They are 2-5 on the road this season and 4-5 at home.

With no chance of making the playoffs, the 49ers rank 8th in our NFL power rankings. They have an average scoring margin of -1.5 points per game and are 5-11 against the spread. Their O/U record is 9-7, with the over hitting in two straight games.

49ers Offense Breakdown

San Francisco heads into week 18 ranked 12th in our offensive power rankings. They are 13th in the NFL in scoring, averaging 22.8 points per game, and have been strong on 3rd down, converting 42.9% of their attempts, which ranks 9th in the league. The 49ers are 5th in the NFL in yards per game, averaging 372.6, and they rank 4th in passing yards per game with 246, despite being 24th in passing attempts.

Brock Purdy threw for 377 yards and 3 touchdowns in week 17, with 2 interceptions. Ricky Pearsall led the team with 8 catches for 141 yards. Before that, Purdy had a 313-yard performance in week 16. However, he is questionable for week 18 with a right elbow injury.

49ers Team Defense

In their 40-34 loss to the Lions, the 49ers' defense struggled to get off the field, allowing the Lions to convert 64.3% of their third down attempts. The 49ers gave up 287 passing yards on 26 completions, with Detroit averaging 8.4 yards per attempt through the air. They also allowed three passing touchdowns and 152 rushing yards on 33 attempts.

Despite forcing five more tackles for loss than the Lions, the 49ers managed just two sacks and struggled to slow down Detroit's passing game, as they completed 76.5% of their passes.

Cardinals Preview:

At 7-9, the Cardinals rank 15th in our power rankings heading into week 18, with their playoff chances sitting at 0%. Arizona is 5-3 at home this season but has struggled on the road, going 2-6. They are 3rd in the NFC West with a 2-3 division record and are 3-8 in conference play.

Against the spread, the Cardinals are 10-6, including a 7-2 mark as underdogs. In week 17, they couldn’t pull off the win vs the Rams but covered the 6.5-point spread in a 13-9 loss. The O/U line was 48 points, with the teams combining for 22. Arizona’s O/U record is 7-8-1 this season.

Cardinals Offense Breakdown

Heading into week 18, the Cardinals rank 14th in our offensive power rankings. They are 15th in the NFL in points per game, averaging 22.1, and 11th in yards per game with 356.1. Arizona has leaned on the run game, ranking 13th in rushing attempts and 7th in rushing yards per game with 143.8. On 3rd down, they have been solid, converting 43.4% of their attempts, which ranks 7th in the league.

In week 17, Kyler Murray threw for 321 yards (33/48), with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Trey McBride led the team with 12 receptions for 123 yards. Arizona struggled to score, managing only 9 points against the Rams, all in the second half. They converted 6 of 13 3rd downs and went 1/4 in the red zone.

Cardinals Team Defense

In their 13-9 loss to the Rams, the Cardinals' defense played well, holding the Rams to just 3.1 yards per attempt on 22 rushes. Arizona limited the Rams to 189 passing yards on 17 completions and kept them out of the end zone, with no passing touchdowns allowed. The Cardinals also held the Rams to 40% on third down.

However, Arizona's defense didn't generate much pressure, as they didn't record any sacks and had a -4 differential in quarterback hits. Despite their strong defensive performance, the Cardinals couldn't come out with a win, as their offense only managed to score 9 points.

49ers vs Cardinals Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Across the 49ers last three road games, the team averaged 12 points per game while allowing 34. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 0-3, while going 0-3 straight-up.
Across their last five home contests, Arizona has a 3-2 record vs the spread. Their overall mark in these games was 1-4, while averaging 19 points per game.
Going back to their previous three games as the underdog, San Francisco has an ATS mark of 0-3 while going 0-3 straight up.
In their last three games as the betting favorite, the Cardinals have a straight up record of 1-2 and an ATS mark of 1-2.