Arizona Cardinals vs. San Francisco 49ers Matchup Preview (11/7/21): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

Arizona Cardinals vs. San Francisco 49ers Matchup Preview (11/7/21)

The Cardinals and 49ers face off in a divisional rematch full of intrigue and high-stakes implications. Arizona is coming off its first loss of the season to the Packers on Thursday night while the 49ers are 3-4 following a win over the Bears. The NFC West is still up for grabs, although probably not for San Francisco, with the Cardinals and Rams at 7-1. Arizona needs to get back in the win column while the 49ers are desperate for their first home win of the season.

Arizona Cardinals vs. San Francisco 49ers Betting Odds

The Trends

• Cardinals are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games
• 49ers are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 home games
• Cardinals are 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 games in San Francisco
• Underdog is 5-1-1 ATS in these teams’ last 7 meetings
• Under is 7-0 in the Cardinals’ last 7 games as a road favorite
• Over is 5-0 in the 49ers’ last 5 games after an ATS win

The 49ers’ home struggles are well-documented at this point, and they have been 2-7 ATS at home since the start of the 2020 season. Both of these teams are dealing with significant injuries, but the Cardinals have a significant rest advantage in this game and are also 8-4 ATS on the road since the start of the 2020 season. I’m rolling with Kyler Murray and the Cards to get a big bounce-back win this week.

My predictions: Cardinals win 23-20, Cardinals cover, under 46 points

TV Schedule

Date: Sunday, November 7
Time: 4:25 PM ET
Location: Levi’s Stadium – Santa Clara, CA
TV Coverage: FOX

Arizona Cardinals vs. San Francisco 49ers Live Stream

Where can you watch Cardinals vs. 49ers online? You can stream this game, and many other NFL games live online with Hulu. Hulu has a 7 Day free trial and is cheaper than cable options at $5.99/month. Watch Cardinals vs. 49ers Free Online Now.

Injuries

Arizona Cardinals: QB Kyler Murray (ankle) Q, WR DeAndre Hopkins (hamstring) Q, RB Chase Edmonds (shoulder) Q, LB Zaven Collins (shoulder) Q, DE J.J. Watt (shoulder) O, WR A.J. Green (illness) IR/COVID-19, TE Demetrius Harris (illness) IR/COVID-19, C Rodney Hudson (ribs) IR

San Francisco 49ers: OT Trent Williams (ankle) Q, RB Elijah Mitchell (ribs) Q, WR Deebo Samuel (calf) Q, DT Maurice Hurst (calf) Q, DE Dee Ford (concussion) Q, CB Deommodore Lenoir (personal) Q, S Jimmie Ward (quadriceps) D, TE George Kittle (calf) IR

Arizona Cardinals

It’s been an exceptional season for Kyler Murray in his third professional year, and he ranks second in the NFL in completion rate at 72.7% with 17 touchdowns to seven interceptions. He also ranks fifth in the NFL in QBR and EPA. The Cardinals’ passing offense has been electric this year, ranking fourth in DVOA, and it’s benefitted from a deep and talented wide receiver corps featuring DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk, A.J. Green, and Rondale Moore. Green popped up on the COVID-19 Injured Reserve this week, leaving Kirk and Moore to likely take on a more significant role in the offense this week. Veteran Zach Ertz has also been an excellent addition at tight end. Arizona’s offensive line ranks middle of the pack on Football Outsiders in both run-blocking and pass-blocking, and it’s taken a step back in recent weeks with Rodney Hudson on Injured Reserve. The O-line is likely at a disadvantage against San Francisco, with Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead ready to wreak havoc.

Defensively, the Cardinals were exposed last week as they struggled to get off the field – the Packers converted on six of fourteen third-down plays despite being without All-Pro receiver Davante Adams. Arizona is still the top defense on third down this year, holding opponents to a 30.9% conversion rate. The Cardinals rank second in the NFL in defensive DVOA and have mainly been good in pass defense, allowing the second-fewest passing yards per game this season. However, I believe the secondary is vulnerable and can be exploited. The team’s pass rush has been its biggest strength with the seventh-highest adjusted sack rate in the NFL, but J.J. Watt’s recent injury has diminished that strength. Arizona also showed it could be vulnerable in run defense as it allowed 151 rushing yards to the Cardinals last week.

Arizona Cardinals Depth Chart

QB: Kyler Murray
RB1: Chase Edmonds
RB2: James Conner
WR1: DeAndre Hopkins
WR2: Christian Kirk
WR3: Rondale Moore
TE1: Zach Ertz
TE2: Darrell Daniels

San Francisco 49ers Analysis

The 49ers traded away three first-round picks to move up in the draft and select Trey Lance, but Jimmy Garoppolo gives them a better chance to win games at the moment. Jimmy G’s stats don’t jump off the page, but he does an excellent job of keeping the chains moving and helping the offense play to its strengths. One of its biggest strengths is George Kittle, and San Francisco will hope to have the Pro Bowl tight end back this week from his calf injury. Deebo Samuel has broken through this season with 44 catches for 819 yards and four touchdowns, while Brandon Aiyuk has taken a significant step back in the offense. Elijah Mitchell has taken over as the top running back on the team, and he ran for over 100 yards and a touchdown in each of his last two games. Mitchell is dealing with a ribs injury. However, that could keep him out this week. Trent Williams’s ankle injury could keep him out this week, but if he plays, his matchup against Chandler Jones will be critical to the matchup.

San Francisco’s defense took a step back last season due to injuries after allowing the second-fewest yards and ranking second in defensive DVOA in its Super Bowl run in 2019. This year, the 49ers are debuting a new defensive coordinator in DeMeco Ryans, who has had varying levels of success. The team’s secondary has struggled after the loss of Jason Verrett and ranks just 22nd in pass defense DVOA. However, the 49ers rank seventh in run defense DVOA, primarily thanks to elite middle linebacker Fred Warner. However, outside of the few pieces in the front seven, the 49ers don’t have the same defensive depth as in 2019. Jimmie Ward’s potential absence due to a quadriceps injury would be significant against one of the best passing offenses in the NFL.

San Francisco 49ers Depth Chart

QB: Jimmy Garoppolo
RB1: Elijah Mitchell
RB2: JaMychal Hasty
WR1: Deebo Samuel
WR2: Brandon Aiyuk
WR3: Mohamed Sanu Sr.
TE1: George Kittle
TE2: Ross Dwelley

Arizona Cardinals vs. San Francisco 49ers Daily Fantasy Picks

Your projection of the game script in this game will dictate whether or not you want to play pieces in DFS this week, and there are conflicting takes on that. In these teams’ first matchup, it was a 17-10, defensive-oriented affair. If this week’s game is similarly low-scoring, it wouldn’t be one to target for DFS. However, I expect Jimmy Garoppolo to be able to move the ball against a banged up Cardinals’ defense, assuming Deebo Samuel can play. On the Arizona side, James Conner continues to be a touchdown-dependent, high-upside RB, while DeAndre Hopkins is always worth a look despite his lofty price tag. Rondale Moore and Christian Kirk could also be in for a more significant role this week with A.J. Green not playing, giving them tremendous upside. Again, it all depends on how you view the game script in this one.