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Arizona Cardinals vs San Francisco 49ers NFL Predictions

Written September 11, 2009 by Jason Lowry

Cardinals 49ers week 1 predictions This Sunday the San Francisco 49ers will head to Arizona to take on the defending NFC Champion Cardinals in an early NFC West showdown. Arizona jumped out to an early lead in the division last year, and never had to worry the rest of the way. The 49ers along with the Seattle Seahawks figure to be the two teams that can possibly take down the Cardinals this season. Current NFL odds have the Cardinals 6.5 point favorites and the over/under set at 46 points.

Cardinals Outlook: The Cardinals offense absolutely exploded in the postseason last year, as Larry Fitzgerald went nuts and cemented his spot as one of the top wide outs in the NFL. What a lot of people forget is the play of fellow wide out Anquan Boldin, who was a big part of the Cardinals offense early last season, but didn’t have much of an impact in the playoffs because of an injury. The Cardinals could once again be without Boldin, as he and No.3 receiver Steve Breaston are both questionable for Sunday’s game. The Cardinals will have a different look in the backfield than that of their postseason run, as Edgerrin James is now a Seahawk, and the Cardinals spent an early draft pick on Ohio State running back Beanie Wells to compliment Tim Hightower in the running game. The key to the offense is quarterback Kurt Warner, as he continues to play at a high level even though he is getting up there in age. If Warner stays healthy and the Cardinals play like they did in the postseason, he could make another run at an MVP trophy. One big question that surrounds this offense is how they will look without offensive coordinator Todd Haley, as Haley took the head coaching job at Kansas City.

On defense the Cardinals are also without their coordinator from a year ago, as Clancy Pendergast followed Haley to the Chiefs. After a mediocre regular season, the Cardinals became a turnover machine in the postseason, and they are hoping that will carry over to this season. This weekend the Cardinals will have to focus at shutting down the running game of the 49ers, as they figure to pound the football with Frank Gore and rookie Glen Coffee. Bet the Cardinals -6.5 at Sportsbook.com.

49ers Outlook: The 49ers were the closest team to the Cardinals in the NFC West last season, but that wasn’t saying much because the Seahawks an St Louis Rams both had miserable seasons. The 49ers were unable to beat the Cardinals last season, but did play well against them in the second matchup. The 49ers are putting their hope in quarterback Shaun Hill, as Hill was able to beat out former first round pick Alex Smith for the starting job. One player the 49ers will be without is first round draft pick Michael Crabtree, and what a disappointment it is that this guy is not going to be on the football field in week 1. That means either veteran Isaac Bruce, wide out Josh Morgan, or tight end Vernon Davis must make some plays, or the Cardinals are going to just stack the box to stop the rushing attack of Gore and Coffee.

On defense the 49ers have one of the most feared and talented linebackers in the game in Patrick Willis, but because the Cardinals don’t run the football all that much, he might not make as big as impact as he will later in the season. The pressure will be on the outside linebackers and front three to get as much pressure as they can on Warner, as he will pick this defense apart if he has all day to throw. The 49ers secondary also has a huge task ahead of them, as they must find a way to stop arguably the best receiving corps in the game, that is if Boldin and Breaston play. Bet the 49ers +6.5 at Sportsbook.com.

My Prediction: Cardinals -6.5

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