The San Francisco 49ers (6-10) and Arizona Cardinals (7-9) will look to wrap up their seasons on a high note when the meet Sunday in a Week 18 battle of teams that have been eliminated from the playoff picture. The 49ers, the defending NFC champions, will have their three-year postseason streak snapped this season in a year plagued with injuries beginning even before the first snap. The Cardinals will miss the postseason for the third straight season and have lost five of their last six games. Joshua Dobbs will start at quarterback for the 49ers after Brock Purdy suffered an elbow injury last week.
Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday from State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. The Cardinals are favored by 4.5 points in the latest Cardinals vs. 49ers odds, while the over/under is 42.5 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any 49ers vs. Cardinals picks, you'll want to see the NFL predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up well over $7,000 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception. The model enters Week 18 of the 2024 NFL season on a 30-14 betting hot streak on top-rated NFL picks this year, a stunning 68% success rate. Longer term, it is on a 210-142 roll on top-rated NFL picks that dates back to the 2017 season and a 64-35 roll on top-rated NFL picks since Week 7 of 2022.
The model also ranked in the top 10 on NFLPickWatch four of the past six years on straight-up NFL picks and beat more than 94% of CBS Sports Football Pick'em players four times during that span. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen strong returns.
The model has set its sights on San Francisco vs. Arizona. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NFL betting lines for the game:
- Cardinals vs. 49ers spread: Cardinals -4.5
- Cardinals vs. 49ers over/under: 42.5 points
- Cardinals vs. 49ers money line: Cardinals -226, 49ers +186
- Cardinals vs. 49ers picks: See picks here
- Cardinals vs. 49ers streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why the 49ers can cover
It's been a challenging season for the 49ers and although San Francisco is turning to a backup quarterback for the final game of the year, Dobbs is one of the most established second-string signal callers in the league. The 29-year-old started multiple games in each of the previous two seasons and Sunday will be his first start this fall. He made 12 starts for the Cardinals and Vikings last season and Dobbs will be eager to prove he should receive a chance at being a starting quarterback next season.
The Cardinals will be without running back James Conner, who re-aggravated a knee injury last week. Arizona scored only nine points last week with Conner playing just 12 snaps before the injury as the Cardinals fell to 1-5 over their last six games. The 49ers had won four straight games against Arizona before a 24-23 upset loss in Week 5 and the 49ers have only lost both matchups to the Cardinals once over the last five seasons. It's been a difficult season with injuries, but a motivated quarterback can help San Fransico end a season on a high after nearly knocking off the 14-2 Lions in a 40-34 loss last week. See which team to pick here.
Why the Cardinals can cover
Although Dobbs will be highly motivated, he's certainly a step down from Purdy, who is eighth in the NFL in passing yards (3,864) and is 23-13 all-time as a starter. Arizona opened the season at 6-4 before its recent losing skid and an improved defense was a key reason for the hot start and better season-long results. The Cardinals have the No. 14 scoring defense (22.2 points per game) compared to ranking 31st last year. After back-to-back four-win seasons, Arizona has a chance to double that win total after Sunday.
The Arizona offense has also improved this season with the No. 15 scoring offense at 22.1 ppg compared to the No. 24 scoring offense last season while ranking 11th in total yards (356.1) compared to 19th last year. The Cardinals are 7-3 ATS over their last 10 games, including 4-1 ATS at home. Arizona won all four of those home games straight-up as well, and with Kyler Murray throwing for his most yards, best completion percentage and best quarterback rating since 2021 when Arizona made the playoffs, the Cardinals can finish the season strong at home against an injury-riddled 49ers team. See which team to pick here.
How to make 49ers vs. Cardinals picks
The model has simulated Cardinals vs. 49ers 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins 49ers vs. Cardinals on Sunday, and which side of the spread cashes in well over 50% of simulations? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the Arizona vs. San Francisco spread you should be all over Sunday, all from the model on a 210-142 roll on its top-rated NFL picks, and find out.