San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals: Monday Night Football Betting Preview and Predictions

San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals
Monday, 10/29/12, 8:30 PM EST, TV: ESPN
Opening Point Spread: San Francisco -6.5
Current Betting Line: San Francisco -7
Opening Total: 37
Current Total: 38.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

Cardinals Rams NFL Preview — The Arizona Cardinals have lost eight of their last nine appearances on Monday Night Football

San Francisco travels to Arizona for a Monday Night Football matchup between NFC West foes, with the team coming off a 13-6 win over the Seattle Seahawks as 7.5-point home favorites, while going UNDER the total for the fourth time in five games. The 49ers are in a stretch of playing just one game in 24 days, which is something for handicappers to monitor when making their weekly pro football predictions. “When they are scheduled, where they are scheduled, we will show up and play them,” stated 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh. San Francisco is 0-4 ATS off a home win against a division rival.

The 49ers have tallied 41 wins when taking part in this prime-time event, which is the second-most among NFL teams. San Francisco has outscored opponents by a 165-100 margin this season, which was the fourth-best scoring differential in the league entering this week’s action. Offensively, the team has relied heavily on its ground game once again, ranking first in the league in rushing for an average of 5.9 yards per carry. Since Dec. 1, 2011, the squad has committed just nine turnovers.

Arizona has lost three games in a row, with the UNDER cashing in each of those contests, including a 21-14 setback to the Minnesota Vikings last time out as seven-point road underdogs. The Cardinals offense has struggled to move the ball due to playing a rookie at right tackle, which has led to scoring just 33 combined points in their last three affairs. Arizona is 2-0 ATS as a home underdog this year, with both going UNDER the total.

The Cardinals are averaging just 89.3 rushing yards per game, which is nowhere near the 176.6 yards per game their opponent is managing to put up. It’s important to note that running back LaRod Stephens-Howling did manage to rush for a career-high 104 yards last week, which could ease the amount of coverage that wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald will see downfield. Quarterback John Skelton threw for 262 yards last week, but was sacked seven times due to the struggling offensive line.