from PFW
San Francisco (+7½) at Arizona
You may have heard the Cardinals moved into new digs. I always had a soft spot for Sun Devil Stadium — but then again, I never had season tickets. So, thus begins a season of promise for Dennis Green’s squad. The 49ers are weak, the Rams are down, and the Seahawks … well, the Seahawks are really good. So second place would be OK, so long as it led to the wild card. But first things first. The Niners come to town for the first regular-season game at Cardinals Stadium. There was a bit of a hubbub this week when it was reported that the Cardinals had been allowed to select San Francisco as their opening opponent. Both clubs tried to shoot down the rumor, but I’ll guess 49ers head coach Mike Nolan will be making reference to the story when he’s making his pregame talk to his young squad. The Niners are just young enough to be motivated by such a thing … and just improved enough to be dangerous. The Cards won both meetings between the teams a season ago, but they haven’t been this big a pointspread favorite since Week 14 of the 2004 season. The opponent? Yes, San Francisco, which scored a 31-28 OT win. I’m not calling for a Niners straight-up win, but they will keep it closer than expected.
Wilkening’s pick: San Francisco
his pick is with the spread