SF 49ers: Week 1 betting odds and spreads vs. Cardinals

Football season is upon us. So why not bet on the SF 49ers a little as they host the Cardinals in Week 1?

Before I go into the different aspects of this weekends game, I just wanna outline that this is the first of a16-week advice segment that will provide opinions on the various spreads and props for each SF 49ers game this season. Opinions are exactly that: opinions. They should not be the end-all-be-all when deciding what to do with your money.

Now for the fun part…

With the 2020 NFL season finally upon us, people will finally be able to scratch their gambling itch a little by throwing down a few dollars this weekend. Of course, the 49ers will be playing the up-and-coming Arizona Cardinals this weekend, in what is sure to be a continuation of last season’s competitive matchups.

The Niners will be coming out with a vengeance this year following their loss in the Super Bowl and will probably be very explosive out of the gate under the leadership of superstar head coach Kyle Shanahan.

So let’s look at a few things from more of an odds standpoint.

SF 49ers vs. Cardinals: Betting Odds and Lines

This game is a little more lopsided than fans may think, according to OddsShark.com, due to the Niners being seven-point favorites this Sunday. This line is similar to the two games from the 2019 season, but we all know how those went with both games coming down to the wire.

The money line also comes in at minus-300 for San Francisco, which shows you how much better Vegas thinks the Niners are here at this point in the season.

The over/under comes in at 48.0 points, which kind of illustrates the oddsmakers aren’t sure if this will be a low- or high-scoring game, so they kind of went with an average total here.

Summary

Spread: Niners -7 favorites (-300 ML)

Game total: 48.0 o/u

SF 49ers bets to consider

I think these lines are a little trickier than most may think. It’s easy to forget the 49ers in 2019, while extremely efficient, did have some issues with mobile quarterbacks. This isn’t an insult to their defensive front, but it is almost a total guarantee Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray will have grown as a player during the offseason and will continue to give the Niiners headaches with his scrambling abilities.

The Cardinals have also added one of the leagues elite wide receivers in DeAndre Hopkins.

The 49ers are also expected to be slightly limited in the passing game this Sunday with the expected absence of sophomore wide receiver Deebo Samuel (foot). Rookie Brandon Aiyuk (hamstring), while expected to suit up this Sunday, has missed almost a month’s worth of practice and will probably be slightly limited in his first appearance for the 49ers.

Franchise quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo also had some of his best games of the season last year against Arizona, so look for him to replicate this same success on Sunday.

The line of minus-7 is a little too thick for me, so while I think the 49ers will win the game outright (minus-300), I will have to go with taking the Cardinals plus-7. The 49ers will without be a doubt be a little less dangerous to start the season than expected and will definitely have to fight for that win.

The over/under is a little bit more of a toss-up, but I think this game hits the over.

My final score prediction: Niners win 34-27

This should be a great game from the get-go! Hopefully, the 49ers come through and show everyone that they will be a force to be reckoned with again this season!