Our Arizona Cardinals vs. San Francisco 49ers prediction takes a look at the Week 18 matchup that features a strong NFC West rivalry. Let’s dive into the current NFL betting odds, key storylines to watch, and make a prediction for the game. Note that all odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook as of Monday, Jan. 2.
Cardinals vs. 49ers Odds
- Spread
49ers -13.5 - Moneyline
49ers -675 - Over/Under
40 points
Cardinals vs. 49ers Prediction
This season has not gone the way that Cardinals fans had hoped. Arizona sits at the bottom of the NFC West with a 4-12 record, they have trotted out four starting QBs this season, and are currently riding a six-game losing streak heading into Week 18.
The season was over for Arizona a couple of weeks ago after they were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, and now questions start to swirl around the future of head coach Kliff Kingsbury. Steve Keim has already stepped away from the team, and it’s unknown if he’ll ever return.
Will Kingsbury get another season as the head coach in the desert, despite signing a contract extension this past offseason? At just 28-36-1 in his coaching career, there are reasons to believe that Arizona’s upper management could easily hit the reset button and be looking for a new leader for this team in just a few short weeks.
As for this matchup, the Cardinals have nothing to play for, they’re heavy underdogs, and the 49ers are on an absolute roll recently. The only other thing to watch for during this matchup will be J.J. Watt.
The star defender will be playing in his final NFL game after he announced that he would retire at the end of the 2022 NFL season. As he plays at a ridiculously high level right now, it’ll be worth watching the future Hall of Fame player in his final game.
As for the 49ers, they come into Week 18 on a nine-game win streak! This feat in and of itself is an impressive mark, but it’s even more shocking when you consider that they’re playing their third-string QB this season and still winning.
Despite Jimmy Garoppolo going down with an injury against Miami in Week 13, Brock Purdy has stepped forward and has kept this team on track. The defense has been playing at an elite level every single week, and they look like they could make a legitimate run for the Super Bowl this year.
While last week’s score against a reeling Raiders team was a bit shocking, San Francisco still was able to take care of business and keep the win streak alive. Heading into this divisional matchup in Week 18, the No. 1 seed in the NFC is still very much on the table for the 49ers.
MORE: NFC No. 1 Seed Playoff Scenarios
Philadelphia has lost their past two games, and they sit just one game above San Francisco in the standings. This means that we should still see the starters in this one for the 49ers as they work to achieve home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
They’ll still need a few things to break their way, but it’s incredibly impressive that we’re even discussing that possibility, given everything this team has gone through up to this point.
Cardinals vs. 49ers Score Prediction
49ers 27, Cardinals 14