This is a weird one for me.

The statuses of Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins are in doubt. The game is being played in Mexico City. This is the one coach – Kyle Shanahan – that Kliff Kingsbury regularly gets the better of, though the discrepancy between these two rosters seems greater than it's been in quite some time.

The 49ers have been very hit-or-miss in terms of their offensive production, yet the line is greater than a touchdown for a neutral site game. Is Colt McCoy a better fit to run Kingsbury's "offense" than Murray? He did help them roll up 31 points against the 49ers the last time these two teams met. And he led them to an easy win last week (albeit against the broken Rams).

So, yeah, I'm not sure exactly what to make of this one. I tend to think San Francisco has real potential to contend, and the Cardinals are afterthoughts. But weird stuff happens in the NFC West. Both of these teams have struggled against the spread this season. Leaves me grasping quite a bit as to how to size this up.

49ers at Cardinals

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Spread: Cardinals +8

This seems a little steep to me. If I had more belief that the 49ers could produce points with more regularity, I would go the other way. This is a coin flip for me. Part of me thinks McCoy does a better job of keeping it close than Murray, if the back-up does indeed get the start. More clarity on Hopkins would help as well. But as long as this spread is over a touchdown I'll hold my nose and take the points.

Game Total: Under 43

A year ago the 49ers mustered a total of 27 points in two games against the Cardinals. Sure, they have Christian McCaffrey now, but this also just might not be a great matchup for them. The Cardinals offense has been a disappointment pretty much all season long. When they have put up points and secured positive results, it's usually come with a heavy dose of scoring help from the defense. They lead the NFL with three pick-sixes and are tied for the NFL lead with two scoop and scores, but you can't bank on that stuff. This is (quite literally) foreign terrain. These are two teams that know each other well. I'll lean into this being another ugly Under game in a season full of them.

49ers -.5 Fist Quarter (-120)

The Cardinals are a trainwreck in the first quarter. They have the worst scoring margin in the league in the opening quarter (-42); they have allowed the most points and scored the fourth fewest. I like San Francisco's top-ranked yardage defense (fourth in scoring) to get the best of them early and help the 49ers win the quarter and make us money.

Player Props

Brandon Aiyuk Over 4.5 Receptions (+110)

Aiyuk has quietly taken on a bigger timeshare in this passing game, with George Kittle not the same and Deebo Samuel in and out of the lineup. Aiyuk has caught six balls or more in four straight games and I like that streak to continue here.

Jimmy Garoppolo Over 1.5 Passing TDs (-125)

Garoppolo has 13 passing touchdowns in five career games against Arizona. The Cardinals have yielded 17 passing TDs, tied for fifth-most in the NFL. He's thrown two TDs or more in four of the last five games.

Christian McCaffrey Longest Reception Over 14.5 yards (-115)

McCaffrey's longest is around this figure pretty much every week and Shanahan will fight to get him matchups he likes lined up all over the field. McCaffrey's got so much wiggle and ability to miss. The Cardinals defense has struggled most of the season. A check down can turn into a 20-yard gain.

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