49ers vs. Cardinals: Who the experts predict will win on Monday night

With the 49ers squaring off against the Cardinals on Monday Night Football in Mexico City, which team do the experts think winds up winning in Week 11?

There are a lot of things working in the San Francisco 49ers’ favor ahead of their Week 11 Monday Night Football matchup against the Arizona Cardinals in Mexico City, Mexico.

For starters, to acclimate to the extreme altitude at Estadio Azteca where the game will be played on Monday, the Niners have already shifted this week’s practice to the above-mile-high elevation of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, while the Cardinals elected to stay home and not disrupt the week’s work.

Additionally, while San Francisco is technically the road team in Mexico City, an estimated 82 percent of fans in attendance will be pulling for the 49ers, so head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad will have the home crowd on its side.

This all helps explain why the Niners are eight-point favorites for this contest, according to WynnBET, right?

Granted, Arizona has been a thorn in Shanahan’s side for years now, and San Francisco has gone 3-7 against the Cardinals in Shanahan’s tenure, which includes three losses over the last four games. Plus, with Arizona potentially getting quarterback Kyler Murray back from a hamstring injury that held him out of the Cards’ Week 10 win over the Los Angeles Rams, the 49ers will possibly have to contend with another mobile weapon at altitude.

Not easy.

But, do either of these X-factors make a difference in predicting the game’s outcome?

Not according to some of the experts out there.

Experts predict Monday Night Football outcome between 49ers and Cardinals

The Niners navigated a tricky portion of their first-half schedule amid a series of games where injuries were playing a big role. And while Shanahan is still short a handful of key players, namely defensive tackle Arik Armstead (foot) and cornerback Emmanuel Moseley (ACL), San Francisco is still getting healthy at the right time.

This made all the difference in CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco’s pick of the 49ers to beat the Cardinals on Monday:

"The 49ers are coming off a victory over the Chargers, while the Cardinals beat the Rams with Colt McCoy at quarterback. There is a chance Kyler Murray is back in this one, but it won’t matter. The 49ers are ready to roll with many of their guys back healthy.Pick: 49ers 30, Cardinals 23"

Arizona covers, according to that prediction, but that wouldn’t make Shanahan wince whatsoever.

Heading over to NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal’s Week 11 predictions, he is also looking at the Niners pulling off a victory on Monday night, the final score being 24-17 in which Arizona covers but still loses:

"The Cardinals beat the 49ers in both meetings a year ago, including a Colt McCoy start in Week 9. McCoy might get the call again, but it is San Francisco’s quarterback play that has been different this season. A healthy Jimmy Garoppolo with a full complement of weapons is good enough to find mismatches, and there should be plenty against this Arizona D. It feels like the Niners’ running game is only starting to get in gear."

Both experts seem to realize that San Francisco is the pound-for-pound favorite, and combined with the other X-factors like altitude acclimation and the home crowd at Estadio Azteca, predicting the 49ers to come away with the victory seems like the smart play.

The Niners and Cardinals square off on Monday Night Football on Nov. 21 at 8:15 p.m. ET.