Sunday football, week 13 - Cardinals @ Bears

ARIZONA CARDINALS @ CHICAGO BEARS
Time: 1:00 PM ET, Dec. 5, 2021
Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, Ill.
Current Line: ARI -7.5  Total: 45.5

The Arizona Cardinals have the best record in the NFL at 9-2 and they enjoyed an extended Thanksgiving vacation. The Cardinals bye week just happened to come last weekend giving head coach Kliff Kingsbury plenty of time to rest up some of his key players.

Arizona heads to Chicago to take on an ailing Bears team that is just 4-7 this season, including its recent 1-5 stretch. That one win isn’t all that impressive either as Chicago needed a last-second field goal to beat the winless 0-10-1 Detroit Lions. Prior to the Thanksgiving Day win, the Bears had lost five straight.

The bye will definitely help the Cardinals who played without QB Kyler Murray for the past three games. Murray last played in Arizona’s 24-21 loss at Green Bay. Colt McCoy stepped in and performed well winning games over San Francisco and Seattle. Arizona was beaten handily by Carolina 34-10 on Nov. 14. That shouldn’t be a surprise as the Cardinals were also without star WR DeAndre Hopkins.

Hopkins could return this Sunday too adding another playmaker to an offense that is fifth in the NFL in scoring averaging 28.2 points a game. Both Hopkins and Murray are listed as questionable for Sunday’s game and it might even be a game-time decision as to whether or not either one plays.

It might not matter if either of the Cardinals stars play as Arizona has one of the better defenses in the league. The Cardinals are fifth in the NFL in total defense allowing opponents just 317.8 yards per game. More importantly, they are fourth in the league in scoring defense giving up just 18.4 points per game. In their last five wins, the Cardinals allowed 17 points or less.

That’s not good news for Chicago, which has one of the worst offenses in the NFL. The Bears have the worst passing game – 169.8 yards per game – in what is a passing league. Chicago ranks 30th in total offense managing 296.1 yards per game. About the only thing the Bears get right on offense is running the football. They are eighth in the NFL in rushing offense averaging 126.3 yards per game. As a result of their offensive shortcomings, the Bears score just 16.3 points per game which ranks 29th overall.

Arizona not only has the best record in the NFL; it is also the best road team in football. The Cardinals are 6-0 away from home and they are also 6-0 against the spread (ATS) on the road. All of their road wins have come by 10 points or more. Arizona is the first team since 1968 to win each of its first six road games by at least 10 points.

Here’s where it gets really interesting. Arizona is 7-2 ATS in its last nine games overall. They are 4-1 ATS against their last five opponents that have had a losing record. The Cardinals are also 19-7-3 ATS in their last 29 road games. The Bears? Well, they are 1-5 ATS in their last six games overall. They are 0-4 ATS in their last four games against NFC opponents and they are 1-4 ATS in the last five games against Arizona.

Before making a play on Arizona -7.5, it would be wise to confirm whether Murray and/or Hopkins will be playing for the Cardinals. Having at least one of those players will make a huge difference in Sunday’s outcome.

The other thing that will make a huge difference is the Chicago weather. Sunday’s forecast looks brutal. The high temperature is projected to be 45 degrees, but there is a 50 percent chance of rain. Neither of those alone is all that bad, but when you combine those two factors with winds expected to be in the 10- to 20-miles per hour range…the weather is going to have a huge impact on the game.

The impact of the weather will be greater on both offenses. High winds and low temperatures are typically synonymous with Unders. Consider that the Bears have scored a grand total of 29 points in their last two games. Then, consider that the Under is 11-3 in the Cardinals last 14 road games. Then, there is the fact that the total has gone Under in 10 of the Cardinals last 14 games against teams with a losing record.

The Under is also 8-2 in Chicago’s last ten games overall and 18-6 in the Bears’ last 24 home games. Keep an eye on the injury report to see if Murray and/or Hopkins play. If they do, consider a wager on Arizona -7.5; however, the best bet right now is on the Under. Get in quickly before the number drops and back the Under 45.5.

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