San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals

Betting Odds

Point Spread: San Francisco 49ers(-1)
Game Total Line: (40)
(wagering lines available at 5Dimes)

San Francisco (3-7, 4-6 ATS) has won three of five since starting 0-5. That hasn't been much help to NFL betting fans, though, as the Niners are just 1-3 against the spread in their past four games. They were handled pretty easily by Tampa last week, losing 21-0 as a 3.5-point favorite.

Problems at quarterback have, at times, rendered the offense completely inept. Last week it was Troy Smith, who had inspired some excitement in recent weeks. Smith struggled badly, going 16-31 for 148 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. Between Smith holding onto the ball too long, and struggles by the offense line, the Niners allowed six sacks. Poor coaching (and trailing early) has completely ruined the running game; despite the presence of Frank Gore, San Francisco is averaging just 95 rush yards per game.

The defense has been solid, allowing 21.9 points per game, but it's regularly hamstrung by turnovers on the other side of the ball. San Francisco is pretty stout against both the run and pass. Patrick Willis remains the stand out; he racked up a pair of sacks against the Bucs last week.

Arizona (3-7, 4-6 ATS) is awful. The Cardinals have lost five consecutive games, going 1-4 ATS in that span. They were blown out for the second straight game last week, losing 31-13 at Kansas City.

Like San Fran, the Cardinals have struggled under center. Derek Anderson has been the main guy over the past five games, but he just isn't good enough to carry the team-even competent play is usually beyond his grasp. Puzzling coaching has also hurt Arizona, which refuses to use running back Beanie Wells. He's certainly the most talented runner on the team, yet received just eight carries against Kansas City last week. Tim Hightower led the way with 12.

The defense has arguably been worse. Arizona is 29th in the NFL in yards allowed and is getting carved up for nearly 30 points per outing. The Cardinals have allowed at least 27 points per outing in four straight games. Gore should actually have some room to run this week, should his coaches choose to use him, as Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones went to town against the Cards last week; they combined for 159 yards and a pair of scores.

San Francisco won both games against Arizona last year. In fact, the 49ers have covered four of their last five meetings with the Cardinals. The total has gone under in three of their last four games against each other; Sportsbook.com has set the total for Monday's match up at 40 points.

Point Spread Pick

Take the Cardinals +1 at 5Dimes and lay only -105 on game day!