San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals: NFL Week 3 Betting Odds and Predictions

San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals
Sunday, 9/21/14, 4:05 PM EST
Opening Point Spread: San Francisco -3
Current Betting Line: San Francisco -3
Opening Total: 42
Current Total: 42
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

The San Francisco 49ers are 9-1 SU in their last 10 meetings against the Arizona Cardinals

San Francisco has split its first two games of the season, as it suffered a 28-20 defeat to the Chicago Bears as seven-point home favorites on ESPN’s Monday Night Football, but still won the statistical battle by 143 yards. The 49ers blew a 17-point lead in that affair, which can’t be ignored when making your Week 3 NFL predictions, but they’ve got a great opportunity to bounce back in this spot. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick is 3-0 with six touchdowns and 838 passing yards in three career starts in this particular series. San Francisco is 6-0 SU and 5-0-1 ATS as road favorites of three or fewer points since 2012.

The 49ers should be able to move the ball against the Cardinals, which can’t be ignored when looking over the NFL betting odds, as wide receiver Michael Crabtree has 30 receptions for 456 receiving yards and four touchdowns in his past five games in this rivalry. It’s also important to point out that Anquan Boldin has stepped up his game against one of his former teams—posting a 3-0 mark and averaging 107 receiving yards per game.

Arizona will send out Drew Stanton as its starting quarterback for a second consecutive week, as Carson Palmer continues to deal with a bruised nerve in his throwing shoulder. The Cardinals defense will need to win this affair, but they’ve allowed Kaepernick to average 279 yards passing and a couple touchdowns against them the last couple seasons. The franchise has also dropped nine of its last 10 games in this series, including a 23-20 setback as three-point home favorites on Dec. 29 of last season. Arizona is 4-0 SUATS as home underdogs of three or fewer points since 2012.

The Cardinals have turned the ball over a staggering 30 times in dropping nine of their last 10 games in this series, while they’ve forced the 49ers to make just seven miscues. Arizona cornerback Patrick Peterson will need to have a big game, as he’ll likely match up with Crabtree for 60 minutes.