The San Francisco 49ers head into this weekend’s matchup against the Arizona Cardinals with a bit of an edge. The 49ers played last week on Thursday Night Football, while the Cardinals were on Monday Night Football. The 49ers get three extra days of rest, while the Cardinals get one less day of rest.
We don’t regularly see this kind of matchup, but over the past three years, there have been nine such instances. Over that span, the team that played on TNF is 5-4 straight up, and 7-2 against the spread. That is a small sample size, and it does not get much bigger as we go back. Over the last five years, there have been 14 of these games, and the TNF team is 6-8 straight up and 8-6 against the spread.
There is plenty to factor into this, but as the 49ers head into Arizona as a touchdown underdog, it is at least worth noting these numbers. The Cardinals are not a good football team, with a particularly abysmal running game. The 49ers are not a good football team right now, but they have put together some impressive tape in various stretches. A divisional upset is very possible, and I do think we see them cover the touchdown spread this weekend.