Arizona Cardinals heavy favorites over 49ers

In what could be considered a trap game, the Cardinals are heavy favorites

Is there such a thing as a trap game? For the Cardinals, and most NFL teams, they will say that each opponent presents new challenges and a new way they need to approach preparation, but it is all done the same for each team. Still, after two high profile wins over the last two weeks on Sunday Night Football, one has to wonder if the Cardinals might let up, just a little bit.

The last time these two teams met things were very different for both of them, the Cardinals had not yet found the full up trajectory they are on now and the 49ers had toyed with winning and losing and finding who they are under a new head coach and a QB that was mentored by Cardinals great Kurt Warner in the offseason. The Cardinals put up 47 points on the 49ers that day, including two pick-sixes early in the game that the opposing team could never overcome.

This week has the Cardinals traveling to Santa Clara as overwhelming favorites to do the very same thing again, this time with Blaine Gabbert as the ‘9ers QB. How will Week 12 play out for the experts?

Elliot Harrison at NFL.com has the Cardinals winning solidly with a 34-14 score:

"Arizona wins easily. The 49ers are in full-on evaluation mode at this point with no shot of the playoffs at 3-7. … John Brown and Larry Fitzgerald should be too much for the 49ers, especially if Michael Floyd’s hamstring gets better."

At CBSSports.com, in straight up picks the Cardinals run the table with the entire panel choosing them. Pete Prisco goes on to say in this individual picks, with the Cardinals winning 30-17:

"The Cardinals are riding high behind Carson Palmer, and the 49ers can’t stop anybody. Look for a lot of points again for a Cardinals team that could be the best offense in football. Blaine Gabbert won’t keep up."

Moving over to FOX, the Cardinals run the full panel there as well.

At ProFootballTalk, Mike Florio and MDS both pick the Cardinals to win the game, Florio has the team winning 40-17 with this to say:

"Arizona beat Colin Kaepernick by 40 points. Blaine Gabbert will fare better, but not much."

Nate Silver’s ELO predictive model has the Cardinals with an 71% chance of winning the game, and Microsoft’s Cortana has the red birds with a 69% change. The point spread on this week’s game is 11, which is kind of ridiculous.

Finally, at ESPN, a lone wolf has chosen the 49ers over the Cardinals. Of a panel of 13 and a user chosen winner, one, one has chosen the 49ers.

The Cardinals have been here before, the Browns game was seen in a similar fashion, and after a disasterous first half, the team clicked it on and did what they should have done. Sunday can’t come soon enough, with a win this week, and one in St. Louis next week, the team could be 4-1 in the division heading into the Thursday Night game against the Vikings in Glendale.