The San Francisco 49ers are in the midst of a chase for the top seed in the NFC, with the next stop in Glendale for a Week 15 odds matchup with the Arizona Cardinals.

The Cards are coming off a bye, and they’ve been a little frisky since the return of Kyler Murray, splitting the four games he’s been under center.

But this one is a proverbial David vs Goliath, with the NFC West-leading 49ers a whopping 12.5-point road favorite in the NFL odds.

With a biggie MNF matchup against Baltimore on Christmas Day, do the Niners fall into a trap game? Let’s break down this Sunday, December 17 matchup, complete with my free NFL picks for 49ers vs. Cardinals.

49ers vs Cardinals odds

49ers vs Card…

The NFL season is here at last, and plenty of fans are wondering how to bet on football.

From preseason betting to the Super Bowl, the NFL offers a unique pace for football bettors, with teams playing just once a week. Odds come out on Sunday nights, and sportsbooks take betting action all week long, with the bulk of wagers arriving in the hours before kickoff.

If you’re looking to bet on NFL games for the first time this season, here’s a simple guide to kicking off your football betting.

NFL betting lines explained

The first step in betting on NFL football is how to understand NFL betting lines. While there are thousands of ways to wager on NFL odds, there are three standard betting methods: moneyline, point spread, and Over/Und…

Two years ago, almost to the day, Bulgarian football made headlines for all the wrong reasons. On the pitch Bulgaria lost 6-0 to England in a record home defeat. Off the pitch, in the stands of the Vasil Levski stadium in Sofia, racist abuse was directed at England’s black players.

The infamous Euro 2020 qualifier took place on 14 October 2019; the next day Borislav Mihaylov resigned as president of the Bulgarian Football Association. Immediately a temporary president, Mihail Kasabov, stepped in and it was reported he would be in the position until a new permanent head was elected. Yet for reasons including the pandemic, no election has happened.

<li>Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play sto…

Alf Inge Haaland says he was escorted from his seat at the Santiago Bernabéu because Real Madrid fans were “not happy” with his celebrations following Kevin De Bruyne’s second-half equaliser for Manchester City in the Champions League semi-final.

The Belgian scored a spectacular goal after 67 minutes as the Premier League leaders claimed a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their last-four tie against the holders on Tuesday night.

Real Madrid made to suffer by City but Guardiola knows they are never done | Sid LoweRead more

Images posted on social media appeared to show Erling Haaland’s father mocking the home fans before being removed from a VIP box by Madrid security.

Alf Inge Haaland t…

It was a big Sunday for the Panthers, who beat the Falcons 20-17 and stayed a half-game back of the Saints for the NFC South lead. It was also the first game without WR Kelvin Benjamin, who was surprisingly shipped to the Bills last week. Cam Newton rolled with it, and compared it to something like rearranging deck chairs on some sort of unsinkable ocean liner that definitely didn’t ever sink, as far as he knows. A relatively quiet afternoon in the air, Devin Funchess made his debut as Newton’s No. 1 target with five catches on seven targets for 86 yards. Newton said Funchess is “growing into the role,” and said they’ll just have to move on from Benjamin. Like some sort of boat that is on a timetable, which is definitely the most common metaphor involving the Titanic. The 201…

Rock box sets are indefensible cash-sponges that will endure for as long as baby boomer parents require Christmas presents. Honestly, you don't care if they're any good any more than you worried about whether that tie you bought Dad last Father's Day was ugly. But let's pretend, just for fun, that you're a justifiably skeptical consumer surveying the year's bloated reissue products, and you're seeking a little justifiably skeptical guidance. You've come to the right place. David Bowie, [object Object] (Deluxe Edition)
What do they want me to buy now? David Bowie would like to remind you that for the past two decades, he has been recording music that you have not bothered to listen to, music which he has showcased prominently on the first of th…