Cards' Start Title Defense Vs. 'Niners

NFL News - September 10th, 2009 - Written by John

San Francisco 49ers vs Arizona Cardinals - It's not that it's all that new of a concept, really. The Arizona Cardinals and the 49ers have actually opened the season against each other against each other for three years in a row now. It's the fact that one of these teams are relevant that makes this game a must-see.

The Cardinals start their defense of the NFC crown Sunday, raising the banner for the first time in franchise history. Arizona was 6-0 against NFC West teams last year, enough to make the playoffs despite posting a 3-7 road record. They would make the most of their opportunity, reeling off wins against Atlanta, Carolina and Philadelphia to reach the Super Bowl.

The 49ers have last year's interim head coach Mike Singletary returning as head coach again this season after finishing with a winning record in the nine games he took over. Frank Gore will return to the backfield, and if contract negotiations make any headway, the 49ers will add a new air threat in wide receiver Michael Crabtree. Still, the 49ers have questions at quarterback, opting to go with the steady, yet unimaginative, Shaun Hill, for the second year in a row. He will try to improve on a 2008 campaign that netted only 311 yards of total offense, which was good enough for 23rd in the league. If Crabtree signs and Gore remains healthy, the Niners could become relevant again in the winnable West and Hill could turn into a reliable signal-caller.

The Cardinals have remained relatively intact through the turbulent off-season. The only major blow came when offensive mastermind Todd Haley bolted to take the head coaching gig in Kansas City. It is possible that Kurt Warner will see a dip in his stats, although having a superstar duo of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin to throw to again isn't the worst thing in the world. finally comes into the season as the official starting quarterback, and he will have Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin at wide receiver yet again this year. Under Haley, Arizona's offense passed the ball for just under 300 yards per game last year.

The Cardinals added some help in the backfield in hopes of taking some of the pressure off the passing attack, drafting Beanie Wells out of Ohio State in the first round.

Arizona is a 6 1/2-point favorite against the Niners, according to BetUS, with an over/under of 46 1/2. Vegas is also giving the Cardinals the edge in total points. They NFC West Champion has an over/under of 27 points in the game, while San Francisco's line is 20.

All Betting Lines Above Can Be Found At BetUS Sportsbook

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