49ers vs. Cardinals: Preview, score prediction for Week 4
San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals will look to bounce back from a Monday Night letdown when they host a San Francisco 49ers team that is still without a win following a thrilling Thursday Night defeat to the Los Angeles Rams.
For the Cardinals their loss raised substantial questions about their offensive line as Carson Palmer was sacked six times, while the running game remains virtually non-existent minus the MVP caliber talent of David Johnson. Through three weeks, it isn’t quite clear what the 49ers are good at. Their defense was stout for the first two games while there was nothing to shout about on offense bar the play of Carlos Hyde.
But in Week 3, the 49ers passing offense exploded as they put up 39 points, but the defense collapsed and was unable to stop Jared Goff leading the Rams to 41 points. How San Francisco performs against a Cardinals club that is certainly beatable will provide more of a window into what kind of team Kyle Shanahan is in charge of.
Keys to the Game
Despite talk of a drop-off in the play of the aging Carson Palmer, the Cardinals remain an extremely dangerous downfield passing team. When he was given time to throw against the Cowboys, Palmer moved around the pocket well and appeared the same confident aggressive quarterback he has always been.
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Only Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers have more passing than yards than Palmer’s 925 and, with a ground game ranked at No. 31 in Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric going up against a 49ers defenese that ranks at No. 13 against the run, Palmer’s ability to take advantage of an extremely vulnerable secondary will be pivotal.
For the 49ers, the pressure will be firmly on the pass rush to deliver in the same way Dallas’ did to disrupt Palmer’s rhythm, though that may be easier said than done with San Francisco having recorded just three sacks so far.
Much will also depend on the health of 49ers running back Carlos Hyde, who is third in the league in rushing but is set to be limited in practice this week because of a hip injury. If Hyde cannot go then the onus will be Hoyer to repeat his 300-yard showing from Week 3, and that may still be the case even if the 49ers’ starting tailback is able to play, with the Cardinals run defense ranked at No. 8 in DVOA.
Odds
Point Spread: Arizona -7
Moneyline: San Francisco +245, Arizona -305
Over/Under: 44.5
Odds from Bet365 via Sportsbook Review
Next: NFL 2017: One burning question for each team, Week 4
Prediction
Given how the 49ers have played against division opponents in the Seattle Seahawks and the Rams, it is fair to expect them to keep this within a touchdown. But until they can put together a strong performance on both sides of the ball, it is tough to back the Niners to win, particularly on the road. Look for the Cardinals to sneak out a win that provides more questions than answers.
Final Score: San Francisco 49ers: 24, Arizona Cardinals: 27