4 of 4 models favor the 49ers.
On average the models have the 49ers by 8.8 points, a 76% win chance.
Early prediction, updates weekly until kickoff.
Data through Week 5's games (the last played Mon, Oct 12), from nflverse play-by-play; nflverse last published it .
| Model | Says | Win chance |
|---|---|---|
| Consensus (our call)The average of Our model, Elo, SRS and ESPN FPI (whichever are there); the market is left out. This is our call. | 49ers by 8.8 | 76% |
| Our model ExperimentalOur ratings from nflverse play-by-play: opponent-adjusted EPA per play, home field and the starting quarterback, frozen on the 2024 season and tested once on 2025. Experimental. | 49ers by 6.9 | 70% |
| EloEvery team's Elo rating from every game since 1999 (FiveThirtyEight's method). | 49ers by 9.6 | 80% |
| SRSSimple Rating System: points scored minus allowed, adjusted for the schedule, blended with last season early on. Settings chosen by hand, not tuned. | 49ers by 9.8 | 77% |
| ESPN FPIESPN's Football Power Index matchup predictor, read from ESPN before kickoff. Read in the week of the game. | Available game week | — |
| RecordThe team with the better record this season; equal records go to the home team. A winner only. | 49ers | — |
Our model is experimental. Season so far (79 games, Weeks 1–4 reconstructed): it missed the final margin by 9.8 points on average, the market's margin by 9.8; ours was closer in 38 of 79. Scorecard →
Not named yet. The quarterbacks we assume show here in game week: once every earlier game is in, or two days before Week 18's first kickoff.
The official Week 18 injury report isn't out yet. It shows here once nflverse has it, in the week of the game.
Headlines and a line or two from each outlet's own feed, linked to the original; the stories are theirs, not ours.
Opponent-adjusted, from nflverse play-by-play, through Week 5 (the games played so far); league rank in brackets.
| 49ers | Cardinals | |
|---|---|---|
| Net EPA per play | +0.19 (1st) | −0.10 (27th) |
| Offense, EPA per play | +0.16 (2nd) | 0.00 (15th) |
| Defense, EPA per play allowed (lower is better) | −0.03 (11th) | +0.10 (29th) |
| Passing offense, EPA per dropback | +0.31 (1st) | +0.03 (20th) |
| Rushing offense, EPA per run | −0.05 (14th) | −0.07 (16th) |
| Offense success rate | 51% (1st) | 45% (11th) |
The 49ers won 3 of the last 5 meetings.
| Sep 27, 2026Week 3, 2026 | 49ers 36, Cardinals 30at San Francisco |
| Nov 16, 2025Week 11, 2025 | 49ers 41, Cardinals 22at Arizona |
| Sep 21, 2025Week 3, 2025 | 49ers 16, Cardinals 15at San Francisco |
| Jan 5, 2025Week 18, 2024 | Cardinals 47, 49ers 24at Arizona |
| Oct 6, 2024Week 5, 2024 | Cardinals 24, 49ers 23at San Francisco |