San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals MNF Betting Preview
This San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals MNF betting preview is courtesy of Sportsbook.com.
Sportsbook.com is using San Francisco -2 & 41.5
Two slumping 3-7 teams duel in the Arizona desert on Monday night. The Cardinals have dropped five straight games while the 49ers were shut out 21-0 at home against the Bucs last week. The Niners are just 0-4 SU and 1-3 ATS away from home this year, and they once again have question marks under center. Troy Smith will be on a short leash as Alex Smith is now healthy, but at least the team will have the services of TE Vernon Davis (ankle), who will start Monday night. San Francisco kicker Joe Nedney (knee) will likely miss Monday’s game. For Arizona, CB Greg Toler (foot) and DE Calais Campbell (ankle) will both be game-time decisions, but RB LaRod Stephens-Howling (hamstring) and LB Clark Haggans (groin) will both return to action Monday night.
75% of action at Sportsbook.com is backing the 49ers -2.
The 49ers gained a season-low 189 yards in their 21-0 loss to Tampa Bay last week. After two quality starts (552 pass yds, 2 TD), Troy Smith was 16-of-31 for 148 yards and an interception, and was sacked six times. Frank Gore entered the Bucs game with 114 rushing YPG in his previous four games, but finished with a season-low 23 rushing yards against Tampa’s second-worst run defense. Gore will try to redeem himself against an Arizona team ranked 29th in the league, allowing 135 rushing YPG. Gore has 102 rushing YPG and six touchdowns in his past five meetings with Arizona.
The Cardinals are also coming off a blowout loss, 31-13 to Kansas City, as their only touchdown occurred on the final play of the game. In addition to its woeful run defense, Arizona ranks amongst the NFL’s bottom five in passing defense (262 YPG), passing offense (191 YPG) and rushing offense (85 YPG). QB Derek Anderson (7 TD, 8 INT) remains the team’s starting quarterback ahead of rookie Max Hall.
Even with Kurt Warner under center for a much better Arizona team last year, the 49ers still swept the Cards, including a 20-16 victory in the desert in last year’s opener. San Francisco has covered the past two times it has played in Arizona.
Sportsbook.com opened San Francisco -1 & the total initially was 39.5
Play On - Underdogs or pick (ARIZONA) - with a poor scoring defense - allowing 24 or more points/game, after 2 straight losses by 10 or more points. (48-16 over the last 5 seasons.) (75%, +30.4 units. Rating = 3*).<P>
Play Under - Any team against the total (ARIZONA) - after 1 or more consecutive losses, in a game involving two bad teams (25% to 40%) in the second half of the season. (127-79 since 1983.) (61.7%, +40.1 units. Rating = 2*).
WASHINGTON WIZARDS (5-10) at MIAMI HEAT (9-8)
Sportsbook.com is using Miami -11.5 & 198
Although this game isn’t particularly important on any large scale, both teams could really use this win. Unfortunately, the NBA doesn’t allow ties, so the Heat look decent to snag one at home against the Wizards. Despite losing the last matchup 94-84 in Miami early last season, the Heat have won seven of the past eight meetings against Washington. Also, the Wizards are 0-7 on the road this year.
After sitting out four games in a row with a sprained foot, John Wall had an impressive 36-minute debut last Tuesday against the 76ers, where he dropped 25 points and dished out six assists. This was Washington's only win in the past four games. Wall is listed as questionable against Heat and didn’t play in the one-point loss to Orlando on Saturday, where the Wizards shot a decent 45.0 FG Pct. and had only 12 turnovers. Gilbert Arenas had a season-high 31 points, despite shooting 9-of-23 (39.1%) from the floor, and is shooting the same 39.1% FG for the season.
The Heat are hoping their players-only meeting can rejuvenate some life into the team after losing 106-95 in Dallas last Saturday -- their fourth loss in the past five games. Although Miami was outscored 48-26 in the paint, the Big Three of Wade, Bosh, and James each scored more than 20 points. The road loss could be the spark that ignites the Heat as they return to the American Airlines Arena where they are 7-3 SU and outscoring opponents by a double-digit margin.
Sportsbook.com bettors still have faith in the recently slumping Heat, as 79% are backing Miami at the big number
Although Miami will likely win the game, these two trends show that Washington should cover the spread:
Play On - Underdogs of 10 or more points (WASHINGTON) - poor foul drawing team - attempting <=24 free throws/game, terrible defensive team - shooting pct defense of >=48% on the season. (32-9 since 1996.) (78%, +22.1 units. Rating = 3*).<P>
Play Against - Home favorites of 10 or more points (MIAMI) - after having lost 4 or 5 of their last 6 games, a marginal winning team (51% to 60%) playing a bad team (25 to 40%). (38-13 since 1996.) (74.5%, +23.7 units. Rating = 3
