The Arizona Cardinals set a franchise record during the team’s one-sided romp over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 9 on Sunday afternoon.
The team, which rolled over the 49ers on the road, 31-17, improved its record to 8-1 — one-upping the 1974 St. Louis Cardinals’ franchise record by a week for the fastest to reach eight wins in a season.
After bouncing back from their first loss of the season two weeks ago against Green Bay, the Cardinals are heavy favorites in online sports betting in Arizona against 4-5 Carolina this Sunday.
The Cardinals and Panthers kick off at 2:05 p.m. Arizona time Sunday at State Farm Stadium on FOX.
Cardinals Huge Favorites in Week 9
A trio of Arizona sports betting apps in BetMGM Arizona, DraftKings Arizona and FanDuel Sportsbook Arizona offer similar spreads for Sunday’s game.
As of Monday afternoon, two of the three operators have the Cardinals as 10-point Arizona NFL betting favorites against Carolina while DraftKings have Arizona at -9.5. The over/under ranges between 44.5 and 45.5 total points.
For those looking to make a moneyline wager, BetMGM Arizona has the Cardinals at -550, DraftKings Sportsbook Arizona has them at -450 and FanDuel Sportsbook Arizona has the home team at -480.
How the Cardinals Got to 8-1
The Cardinals steamrolled the 49ers despite not having quarterback Kyler Murray, who suffered an ankle injury in the team’s Thursday Night Football loss to Green Bay in Week 8.
Arizona thrived at San Francisco thanks in large part to the performance of running back James Conner, who had 96 rushing yards and two scores.
Backup QB Colt McCoy played an outsized role in the victory as well, throwing for 249 yards and a touchdown, while completing 22 of his 26 pass attempts.
Former Saguaro High School wideout Christian Kirk led all Cardinals with 91 receiving yards, while Conner added 77 yards and a touchdown out of the backfield.
On defense, Jordan Hicks recovered two fumbles and LB Markus Golden racked up three sacks to guide Arizona to its eighth victory.
The tide of Sunday’s clash was decided early, with Arizona jumping out to a 14-0 lead after one quarter.
The Cardinals had no trouble clearing the 5.5-point spread Sunday, improving their record to 7-2 against the number this season.
Cardinals in Super Bowl hunt
The Cardinals and Panthers enter Sunday’s contest off disparate results in their last five contests.
Carolina has lost four of five, including a 24-6 defeat at the hands of New England on Sunday.
The Cardinals, on the other hand, have beaten all but one of their opponents this year and have three double-digit victories in their past five contests.
Those results have kept Arizona high in Super Bowl betting odds. At BetMGM Arizona, the Cardinals are fourth to win the championship at +900 (behind Buffalo, Tampa Bay and the L.A. Rams), and third to reach the Super Bowl from the NFC at +425 (behind the Bucs and Rams).
Arizona should get Murray back in the lineup Sunday. Though he sat out the win over San Francisco with an injury, Murray has the third-best odds to win the 2021 NFL MVP at BetMGM Arizona (+475), Caesars Sportsbook Arizona (+550), DraftKings Sportsbook Arizona (+750), FanDuel Sportsbook Arizona (+700) and TwinSpires Sportsbook Arizona (+450).
