49ers Open as 8-Point Favorites Over Cardinals on Thursday Night Football of Week 9

• The 7-0 San Francisco 49ers are eight-point road favorites on Thursday as they face the 3-4-1 Arizona Cardinals
• The Niners failed to cover as 10-point road favorites in a 9-0 win two weeks ago at Washington
• San Fran beat the Carolina Panthers 51-13 on Sunday, the first time the 49ers scored 50 points in a game since 2003

The San Francisco 49ers just kept rolling, while the Arizona Cardinals got rolled.

The Niners remained one of two NFL unbeatens, and the only NFC squad yet to taste defeat as they pounded the Carolina Panthers 51-13 on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Cardinals saw their three-game winning streak halted in a 31-9 setback against the New Orleans Saints.

Green Bay Packers fans will kick up a fuss but it could be argued that the Cardinals will be facing the NFC’s two best teams on successive weeks. The Saints went to the NFC Championship Game last season and are 7-1. The Niners have scored at least 31 points in four games and no less than 41 points in two games.

Perhaps it’s not surprising then the opening line on this game is San Francisco -8 in the 49ers vs Cardinals odds.

San Francisco 49ers vs Arizona Cardinals Odds

*Odds taken 10/27/19
Two weeks ago in a 9-0 win over the Washington Redskins, the 49ers failed to cover as 10-point road favorites.

49ers Finer Than Carolina

The doubters have been silenced. The critics who suggested that the 49ers were 6-0 on the backs of a weak schedule can no longer make that claim.

The Panthers came into Sunday’s game cruising along with four straight wins. And they ran into an absolute bulldozer.

The San Francisco 49ers rout the Panthers and score 50+ for the first time since 2003 ✨ pic.twitter.com/BNHAChY4PJ

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 27, 2019

It was San Francisco’s first 50-point game since 2003 and the Niners’ most impressive offensive showing since beating the Detroit Lions 55-17 on Dec. 19, 1993.

With Matt Breida (ankle) out of the game early, Tevin Coleman ran for 105 yards and scored four touchdowns, joining Jerry Rice (1993, 1990) and Billy Kilmer (1961) as the only San Fran players to find the end zone that many times in a single game.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1188598090447478787?s=20

Jimmy Garappolo threw for 175 yards and two TDs. One of them went to wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, playing his first game since being acquired in a trade from the Denver Broncos.

Cardinals Sins

Arizona’s recent progress went up in smoke against the powerhouse Saints. QB Kyler Murray was held without a TD pass and limited to 13 yards rushing. Minus the injured David Johnson, the Cardinals ran for just 40 yards.

Traiing 10-6 in the third quarter, Cardinals rookie coach Kliff Kingsbury went for it on fourth-and-one from the Arizona 29. The Saints stuffed the play, took over on downs, and scored TDs on three of their next four possessions.

Out Of Frying Pan, Into Fire?

A rattled, overwhelmed Arizona club is coming home from New Orleans likely in search of lost confidence. The 49ers won’t give them time to regroup. And the Cardinals will again be without Johnson (ankle).

Cardinals RB David Johnson won’t play Sunday against the Saints due to his ankle injury, per source. Johnson is expected to miss Sunday vs. Saints and Thursday night’s game against the San Francisco 49ers, per source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 27, 2019

New Orleans’ #6 NFL defense obliterated Arizona’s offense. Imagine what San Fransicso’s #2 defense (235 yards per game) is going to do to the Cardinals.

The smart money outsmarted themselves last week, heavily backing Arizona at New Orleans. They won’t make the same mistake twice.

ThE 49eRs HaVeN’t PlAyEd AnYoNe pic.twitter.com/O0uV5rXv5B

— KNBR (@KNBR) October 27, 2019

The Cardinals were exposed for what they are, not-ready-for-prime-time players. On the other hand, the Niners keep delivering on the hype.

If anything, this line will continue to grow in San Francisco’s favor.