Injury concerns overshadow the NFC West duel!
One of these matchups between undefeated franchises will take place in Santa Clara, California. The 49ers are based there in the Bay Area, not far from San Francisco. They will host their division rivals from Glendale, Arizona, early in the season.
The stage is set for this encounter, and the NFC West duel is eagerly anticipated with great excitement. Just how close the bookmakers see the two teams is shown by the fact that, ahead of the 49ers vs. Cardinals duel, the two-way market is offering almost identical odds.
On the positive side: The Niners are 2-0 and can look back on a successful start to the season. The other side of the coin is that Kyle Shanahan’s team is once again dealing with numerous injuries. In addition to quarterback Brock Purdy and tight end George Kittle, guard Ben Bartch will now also be out. Wide receivers Juan Jennings and Kyle Juszczyk are also questionable for the first home game of the season.
Last week, the offense moved the ball very consistently in New Orleans with backup QB Mac Jones, despite several injured players. In the end, however, the Niners were once again able to rely on their defense. We dare not say whether this unit can make the difference again on Sunday. That’s why we at NEO.bet are refraining from making a prediction on the hosts in the game between the 49ers and Cardinals.
Injury concerns are also omnipresent for the visitors. However, Arizona is not missing any key players on offense, but on defense. It is possible that the visitors will have to start with third-string cornerbacks at Levi’s Stadium due to injuries! After all, the offense proved functional twice, scoring 20 and 27 points against the Saints and Panthers, respectively. Even though the team now faces a better defense, it can be assumed that they will be able to make their mark in Santa Clara. This is also underlined by the high 49ers vs. Cardinals odds on over points.
49ers – Cardinals Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
With two matches per year, there is of course enough basis for our head-to-head comparison. After four consecutive wins between 2022 and 2023, San Francisco lost both games against Arizona last season. The Glendale franchise last achieved three consecutive wins against the Niners between 2015 and 2018. Nevertheless, San Francisco clearly leads the series of direct duels with 36-31 wins.
Like the various betting providers, we see this Sunday’s matchup as a coin flip game that either team could win. The hosts’ offensive injury concerns weigh heavily, even though the Cardinals’ defense has not been entirely convincing so far. In the first two weeks, games played by head coach Jonathan Gannon’s team, which appeared to have a comfortable lead, ended up being close. This reinforces our decision not to predict a winner.
Once again, we believe that the visitors’ offense, led by quarterback Kyler Murray, is capable of causing problems for the extremely rejuvenated Niners defense. Even if the offensive unit still seemed a little out of sync at times in the first few games. Since gaps have repeatedly appeared in the Niners’ secondary on deep passes recently, it can be assumed that the visitors will be able to take advantage of this. However, there is no question that the change of defensive coordinator to Robert Saleh is having a significant impact. After two games, the Frisco defense is in the top 10 in points allowed, yards allowed, yards per play, and 3rd-down defense.
49ers – Cardinals Tip
Despite the good start to the season, we do not fully trust any of the teams’ personnel groups. Perhaps the two wins for each team are also due to the relatively weak opponents? Because we want to avoid a win tip overall, we are placing our main recommendation on a player. However, we are not going with the bookmakers’ favorite, Christian McCaffrey, because the odds between the 49ers and Cardinals are only around 1.50 for him to score a touchdown. Our favorite is therefore Arizona tight end Trey McBride, who is the team’s leading receiver after two games. However, the 25-year-old is still waiting in vain for a successful visit to the end zone.
We do not expect the offenses to dominate the game, though. If more key players are sidelined on the home side, the hosts’ offense will eventually run into problems. The visitors, on the other hand, will face a defensive unit that has been somewhat overperforming so far. This also suggests that Gannon’s team will not pull away in the matchup. It is therefore unlikely that the line of 44.5 points will be reached.
