| NFL Week 1 Predictions: Arizona Cardinals vs San Francisco 49ers |
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| Written by Matt Foust | ||||||
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Sunday, 07 September 2008
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The Arizona Cardinals will see a familiar foe this Sunday when they kick off their 2008 season, the San Francisco 49ers. Not only are the two teams NFC West rivals, this will be the third time in a row that they have played each other in the season opener. The reunion begins at 4:15pm ET on Fox. NFL Week 1 predicitions at SBGglobal.com have Arizona as a -2.5 road favorite. The Cardinals started to look like a legitimate playoff team last season under first year Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt. While they did not make it into the post-season, they did garner eight wins, their highest totals since 1998. Cardinal fans are expecting this year's team to make a playoff appearance and with the talent on the roster, that would seem to be a legitimate prospect. Veteran quarterback Kurt Warner, who beat out former first round pick Matt Leinert, will be leading an offense that put up 25.3 points per game in 2007. San Francisco had a hugely disappointing 2007, going 5-11 and failing to meet the post-season expectations that many had for them entering the season. The offense floundered without Norv Turner calling the shots and the defense did not perform well as they were on the field entirely too long in the majority of the team's games. The team hired Mike Martz to run the offense this year, and while he will probably improve the unit's production, it is uncertain how much his pass happy approach will help the defense. Key Matchup: Last year the 49ers offensive line gave up an offensive 55 sacks. They will be facing a Cardinal defense that recorded 36. The home crowd will reduce the noise factor, but the o-line will need to keep the heat off of new quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan if he is to have a successful debut. NFL Week 1 Trend: The Over is 4-1 in Arizona's last five on the road versus an NFC West opponent. SBGglobal.com's NFL Week 1 Predictions for the Cardinals vs 49ers: Cardinals -2.5 (-110), Over 42 (-110), -145 (Money line) 49ers +2.5 (-110), Under 42 (-110), +125 (Money line) Get on board for an entire season of NFL Picks; we are prepped and ready to storm through the 2008 NFL schedule. Also, make sure you check out our live NFL Betting Odds feed which provides real time point spreads from the top internet sportsbooks in the world, all in one easy to use location. Get line moves in real time and find out which NFL teams have the best betting odds.                         |
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| Last Updated ( Saturday, 06 September 2008 ) | ||||||
