The Arizona Cardinals have a shot at starting a season 5-0 for the first time in 47 years Sunday afternoon. In Arizona sports betting, the Cardinals are 5.5-point home favorites.
The Cardinals welcome the 2-2 San Francisco 49ers to State Farm Stadium, with kickoff at 1:25 p.m. Arizona time on Sunday.
The game, which will be carried nationally by FOX, pits the current NFL Most Valuable Player award favorite (Kyler Murray) against a 49ers defense that’s 10th in the league in yards allowed per game (352.5) this season.
Murray is currently the MVP favorite at multiple sportsbooks, with DraftKings Arizona listing him at +450, while FanDuel Arizona has him at +500.
Cardinals Favored Sunday
The Cardinals are favored to beat the 49ers by a trio of new Arizona sports betting apps in BetMGM Arizona, DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook — all of which list Arizona at -5.5.
When it comes to moneyline wagers, the trio have differing odds, with BetMGM listing Arizona at -227, while DraftKings Sportsbook has them at -235 and FanDuel Sportsbook has the Cardinals at -250.
The Cardinals are 3-1 against the spread this season, while the 49ers have gone 1-3 ATS in 2021 in Arizona NFL betting.
Super Bowl Contender?
The Cardinals’ hot start to the 2021 regular season has propelled them from Super Bowl afterthought to contender.
Arizona’s winning ways have led to the team being one of the top teams, odds wise, to reach the Big Game, with BetMGM giving them the seventh-best title odds, at +1400.
Others, like TwinSpires Sportsbook Arizona list Kliff Kingsbury’s team at +1500, which is the eighth-best odds of any NFL squad.
Industry stalwarts, such as Caesars Sportsbook Arizona, DraftKings Arizona and FanDuel Arizona give the Cardinals +1600 odds of winning Super Bowl LVI, ranking 8th overall in the league in that category.
Meet the San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers have had an enigmatic start to the regular season, outlasting the Detroit Lions (41-33) and Philadelphia Eagles (17-11), while falling in close contests to the Green Bay Packers (30-28) and Seattle Seahawks (28-21).
San Francisco’s offense has been hit-or-miss to date, with veteran QB Jimmy Garoppolo completing 66.1% of his passes for 925 yards and five scores (to two interceptions), but little success on the ground this season.
The 49ers leading rusher (Elijah Mitchell) has averaged 73 yards per game on the ground in two starts this season, while fellow back Trey Sermon has 128 yards and a score to his name.
The team’s collective running game has failed to gain a lot of ground, however, averaging 3.9 yards per carry.
San Francisco currently ranks 20th in YPC, but could see a boost Sunday, as the Cardinals’ defense currently is surrendering 5.4 yards per carry.
One way or another, the Cardinals will either reach a feat five decades in the making or return to earth after a sizzling start Sunday.
Whether the Cardinals’ defense can contain the 49ers on the ground will go a long way toward deciding which way the matinee will go.
