The Arizona Cardinals’ season will come to a merciful end when they face the San Francisco 49ers in Week 18. The real drama will be on Monday, when coach Kliff Kingsbury’s fate is determined.
But we have one game to play, so here are three bets to consider.
Cardinals over 12.5 total points (-114 at FanDuel)
The total for this game is a reminder how far we are away from the dreams of an offensive juggernaut under Kliff Kingsbury. Obviously Arizona has been decimated by injuries, as quarterback Kyler Murray, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and left tackle D.J. Humphries are among the vital cogs not playing.
The 49ers also have an elite defense, so the extremely low total is understandable. With that being said, Kingsbury is an aggressive coach on fourth downs, which sometimes means turnover on downs but also means points. He is expected to get fired on Monday, so he really has nothing to lose in this matchup.
I think Kingsbury is going to go out by emptying the playbook, using trickery and shenanigans in an attempt to pull the upset. It’s not going to happen, but if he reaches 13 points there will be at least one happy camper after the game.
Fourth-quarter spread: Arizona Cardinals +3.5 (-125 at DraftKings)
Is anyone going to be watching the final quarter of a potential blowout in a game that doesn’t mean anything for Arizona? You will be if you take this bet!
The 49ers are big-time favorites in this game, and will likely be comfortably ahead by the time the fourth quarter rolls around. They will be able to play a conservative brand of football in the last 15 minutes and may even pull starters to avoid them from getting hurt.
Arizona, meanwhile, will be down to its final quarter of the season and will keep trying to score points. If the 49ers score a touchdown in the fourth quarter, this wager could be sunk, because the Cardinals would have to match it with a score of their own.
However, I think there is a distinct possibility the 49ers connect on a field goal early in the quarter to extend their lead, but then coast to the win without scoring another point. The Cardinals could very well cover the fourth quarter spread without scoring.
49ers field goal attempt on first drive (+390 at DraftKings)
The Cardinals’ defense will be missing some players on Sunday, but if either unit has a modicum of success, it will be this one. By the time the game is over I would expect the 49ers to have an impressive rushing yardage total, but when offenses rely on that as its main way of moving the ball, an early-down loss of yards can mean the end of a drive.
Quarterback Brock Purdy has been really good since taking over for Jimmy Garoppolo, but if defensive coordinator Vance Joseph throws something tricky at him, the 49ers may bog down on their opening drive.
Hopefully, it comes somewhere between the 35- and 3-yard-line so that coach Kyle Shanahan goes for a field goal on the opening drive.
Overall Prop Bets Record: 80-78
