49ers vs Cardinals Predictions: Week 3 Expert Pick Roundup for NFC West Showdown

Who do the experts believe will get the victory as the Arizona Cardinals take on the San Francisco 49ers in Week 3?

Jan 5, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride (85) celebrates after catching a touchdown pass against San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner (54) in the first half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers are set to clash at Levi's Stadium for NFL Week 3 action, and expectations for the two sides couldn't be any more different.

The Cardinals are hoping to avoid another disaster season with new head coach Mike LaFleur in charge. Arizona's 1-1 and is hoping to bounce back from a forgettable Week 2 loss against Seattle.

The Niners, however, are 2-0 and have a solid claim to be football's best team through the opening two weeks of the season. However, injuries have hit them hard.

You never know with these tough NFC West divisional games — though everybody making Week 3 predictions across the league seems to be confident in the 49ers:

ESPN

Pam Maldonado's pick: 49ers 27, Cardinals 24
Eric Moody's pick: 49ers 28, Cardinals 17
Seth Walder's pick: 49ers 26, Cardinals 17
FPI prediction: SF, 89.9% (by an average of 13.6 points)

CBS Sports

Pete Prisco: 49ers
Jared Dubin: 49ers
Ryan Wilson: 49ers
John Breech: 49ers
Tyler Sullivan: 49ers
Dave Richard: 49ers
Jamey Eisenberg: 49ers

NFL.com

• Jeremy Bergman: 49ers
• Brooke Cersosimo: 49ers
• Gennaro Filice: 49ers
• Bobby Kownack: 49ers
• Dan Parr: 49ers

One Person Likes The Cardinals, At Least Against The Spread

The Athletic's Vic Tafur likes Arizona to at least cover in San Francisco.

"This is the 49ers’ first game of the season against an NFL-caliber roster that did not fly overnight to play in Australia," he wrote.

"So we’ll see how the injury-riddled defensive line holds up, and whether the secondary has really improved that much. Did you know that the 49ers have failed to cover the spread in eight consecutive divisional games at home? Take the points."

Good teams win, great teams cover, right?

Our Prediction

For what it's worth, the Cardinals and 49ers have played each other tight in their last two meetings played in San Francisco. Both matchups were decided by one points.

The 49ers are clearly favorites here, and deservedly so. However, it does feel like we're discounting the Cardinals just a bit. They've played good football in six out of eight quarters and aren't a pushover like many national people see them.

This is shaping up to be another tough battle, and don't be surprised if this Cardinals-49ers matchup again goes down to the wire.

We think the Cardinals score a late touchdown to cut it close, but the Niners survive and come out on top:

San Francisco: 24
Arizona: 20