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Cardinals at 49ers: Game preview, odds, prediction

By Charles Rahrig V

Oct 2, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson (31) carries the ball during the second half against the Los Angeles Rams at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson (31) carries the ball during the second half against the Los Angeles Rams at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers will meet in an NFC West battle on Thursday Night Football.

The Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers find themselves at the bottom of the NFC West. The Cardinals have struggled after coming into the season with high expectations and could be without Carson Palmer. The 49ers are without NaVorro Bowman for the rest of the year, after he tore his Achilles.

For those that want to watch the game on Thursday night, the game can be seen on TV on CBS. It can also be watched online via a live stream via Twitter. There’s no subscription required to watch the game, which makes this a sweet deal for everyone that wants to watch. Here’s everything you need to know about watching the game, including TV info, live stream info and more.

Date: Thursday, October 6, 2016
Start Time: 8:25 p.m. ET
Location: Santa Clara, CA
Venue: Levi’s Stadium
TV Info: CBS
Live Stream: Twitter

Keys to Victory

This could be an ugly game for both teams. If Carson Palmer is out for the Cardinals with his concussion, they will turn to Drew Stanton. He has struggled to deliver the ball to his receivers and he could be ripe for the picking by San Francisco. That means the Cardinals will need to pound the football behind David Johnson if they want to win.

For the 49ers, they need to force the Cardinals to make mistakes and score early. The Cardinals are the only team in the NFL that hasn’t scored a single point in the first quarter this season. If they can keep them off the board early they will have a shot.

Tyrann Mathieu is returning to his old role this week for the Cardinals and will be more involved with the defense. He needs to make plays on defense if his team is going to pick up a division game on the road.

Prediction

Assuming Stanton is under center, the Cardinals are down on the 49ers’ level. Even without Stanton, they’ve been hanging around their this season. The teams are on a short week and both just want to get out of this thing with a win. While the offense for Arizona has been bad, their defense looked good against Los Angeles.

They’ll keep San Francisco off the board the best they can and make it easier on the offense. If Johnson or someone else can scratch off a few scores, the Cardinals will come away with the win. This is a bad time of the year for a Thursday game to be played for both teams.

Pick: Cardinals 16, 49ers 10

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