Big line move in Niners-Cards game Monday; sharp bettors back side
The line on the 49ers-Cardinals “Monday Night Football” game in Mexico City shot up from San Francisco -8 to -10 on Monday after Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray was ruled out with a hamstring injury.
“Line move due to Murray officially out,” Westgate SuperBook vice president of risk Jeff Sherman said in a text message. “It was above 7 with him most likely not playing prior to being ruled out.”
The line opened at 5½ and sailed over the key number of 7 as sharp bettors pounded the Niners.
“Sharps laid anything under 10 on Niners,” South Point sportsbook director Chris Andrews said in a text.
San Francisco (5-4, 4-5 ATS) has won two straight and ranks sixth in scoring defense, allowing 18.1 points per game.
Arizona (4-6, 5-5 ATS) beat the Rams last week behind backup quarterback Colt McCoy, who is 3-1 in spot starts for the Cardinals, including a 31-17 victory over the 49ers last season in November.
The NFC West division series has been dominated in recent years by Arizona, which has won the last two meetings, three of four and 11 of 14.
A Caesars Sportsbook bettor in Nevada placed a total of $200,000 in wagers to win $780,000 on the Cardinals on the money line. They made one $100,000 bet at 4-1 odds and one $100,000 bet at +380.
The total on Monday’s game is 43. San Francisco has a 6-3 under mark this season. The Cardinals, who rank 29th in scoring defense (25.8 ppg), have a 5-4-1 over-under record.
Bettors are backing the Niners at Station Casinos, where 62 percent of the tickets are on the favorites.
“We need the Cardinals to win outright for the best results,” Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said.
At BetMGM, 62 percent of the tickets are on the over, but 57 percent of the money is on the under.
Bettors are backing Arizona at BetMGM, where 60 percent of the tickets and 56 percent of the money are on the Cardinals.
“We just have residual liabilities,” Sherman said. “But our best case is having the 49ers win by double digits.”
Double-digit underdogs are on a 5-0 spread streak in the NFL.
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.
