The defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers have been eliminated from playoff contention, so they have little to play for Saturday at Arizona (4:30 p.m. ET), which is battling for a Wild-Card spot. The Cards will catch a break with several 49ers expected to miss it, including quarterback Nick Mullens, running back Raheem Mostert and cornerback Richard Sherman. CJ Beathard will get the start under center, while in rare good news Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle should return from injury. Arizona, which is optimistic on the status of running back Chase Edmonds, is a 5-point favorite on the William Hill Sportsbook NFL odds.
Mullens and Mostert are for sure out; Mullens injured his elbow in last week’s loss in Dallas and reportedly will need Tommy John surgery – you don’t hear that often outside of Major League Baseball – that puts his 2021 season in jeopardy.
Because of Mullens’ injury and the fact that practice squad QB Josh Johnson is on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the Niners signed former Cardinals first-round pick Josh Rosen off the Tampa Bay practice squad to back up Beathard this week. Beathard is 1-9 in his career as a starter with the Niners, last starting in 2018. In games he has thrown at least 10 passes, the Niners are 1-12 SU and 4-9 against the spread.
If anyone could perhaps fix Rosen, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2018 draft by Arizona, it would seemingly be San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan. The Niners did open the 21-day practice window for Jimmy Garoppolo, but there are no reports that the team is going to put Jimmy G out there for the final two meaningless games.
Mostert, who had a breakout 2019 season, has been injured more often than not this year and is back on injured reserve. In eight games, he rushed 104 times for 521 yards (very good 5.0 ypc) and two scores while catching 16 passes for 156 yards and a TD. Kittle hasn’t played since Week 8 after breaking a bone in his foot, and it’s moderately surprising the team is risking his health in a meaningless game, but Shanahan says Kittle is 100 percent.
Defensively, Sherman, who has been hurt much of the year, safety Jimmie Ward and first-round rookie defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw are all expected to sit. Sherman likely has played his last game in a Niners uniform as he’s set for free agency and is definitely trending downward in his potential Hall of Fame career.
The key injury to monitor for Arizona is to Edmonds, who is in question with ankle and knee issues. However, he was limited to one practice last week and played so it’s expected that he will gut it out.
Edmonds has basically taken over as the featured back ahead of Kenyan Drake. Edmonds has played in more than 50 percent of the offensive snaps in four of the last five games and had 47 yards on 11 carries and three catches for 19 yards and a TD in last Sunday’s win over Philadelphia.
Arizona would clinch a playoff spot with a win and Bears loss in Jacksonville on Sunday. The Cards are 5-0-1 ATS in their last six games vs. San Francisco and have been dogs in the past five – winning three outright, including Week 1.
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