Arizona Cardinals vs. San Francisco 49ers: Spread Analysis and Pick Prediction

The San Francisco 49ers (3-2) are back on track and host an Arizona Cardinals (3-2) team in Week 6 that they have dominated over the years. They face a big point spread and a team that has been terrific in the role as road underdog.

Point spread: The 49ers opened as 7.5-point favorites, but bet up to 12 points by Tuesday. The total was 41.

Computer Prediction: 49ers 21.1, Cardinals 17.6

Why the Cardinals Can Cover the Spread

Calais Campbell and Daryl Washington looked stellar leading the Cardinals defense with four sacks (two each), an interception (Washington) and a game-changing forced fumble (Campbell) in a 22-6 win over Carolina. That should provide confidence against San Francisco's pistol offense.

Arizona has also won five of its last six games outright as a road underdog.

Why the 49ers Can Cover the Spread

Sparked by Tramaine Brock, who had two interceptions—including one he returned 18 yards for a touchdown 90 seconds into the game—San Francisco’s defense also looked strong in a 34-3 rout of Houston. Now the Niners get the 30th-ranked offense in the league.

Expect complete domination against a team they have dominated (7-2 ATS in the past nine meetings).

Smart Pick

Though both defenses deserve praise, this one is about which offense prevails. After seeing how well the Niners responded to consecutive losses with a 24-point win over the Rams and 31-point win over Houston, there’s no reason to believe they cannot cover the spread against Arizona.

Don’t expect the low-scoring game predicted by the NFL computer.

Trends

The Cards are 5-1 SU and ATS in their past six games as road underdogs.

The total has gone OVER in nine of San Francisco's last 12 games.

All spread and odds data powered by Odds Shark. Follow the site on Twitter for injury and line movement updates.