I'd be willing to wager that if the 49ers had beat the Seahawks, this would at least be a pick 'em. The folks at Bodog have laid out their opening lines for next week and Arizona opened as a 3 point favorite over the 49ers at Candlestick Park. The over/under on the game is at 44.5 for now.
While I think the 49ers can most definitely beat the Cardinals, I see this line expanding more than 3 points. Barring any change in Kurt Warner's injury status, I wouldn't be surprised if America's gambling hordes throw down a good deal of money on Arizona. The Cardinals are coming off a huge win over the Minnesota Vikings, in which they looked quite impressive in handling their business at home. The 49ers are coming off a tough, tough loss to a Seattle team that most football fans probably view with much skepticism.
Personally I wouldn't bet against the 49ers (not that I'd be for them at this point) because the 49ers-Cardinals games always seem to end up being battles. However, Arizona definitely has all the momentum at this point. The 49ers did beat the Cardinals to start the year, but this Cardinals team seems a bit different from that one. The 49ers are also 4-2 at home, but that includes getting whupped by Atlanta and struggling against a hot (at that time) Titans team.
Here are some recent trends for both teams (ATS - against the spread; SU - straight up):
- Arizona is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
- Arizona is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
- San Francisco is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Arizona
- San Francisco is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Arizona