Bears vs. Cardinals Predictions, Picks and Best Bets – NFL Week 9

The teams have four wins each as the Chicago Bears take on the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium.

Arizona may be on a two-game winning streak, but our Bears vs. Cardinals predictions have Chicago winning on the money line despite being a slight underdog.

Learn more in my NFL picks for tonight's kickoff at 4:05 p.m. ET on CBS.

Bears vs. Cardinals prediction

My best choice
Bear Moneyline (+100 at BetMGM)

My analysis
The Chicago Bears are at the bottom of the NFC North and now face the Arizona Cardinals, who are at the top of their division and are riding a two-game winning streak. Despite their very different divisional positions, these teams are actually much closer to each other than they appear. Both have won four times and have been slight favorites since the start of the game.

The Bears are last in the division, but are just two wins out of the top spot in a really high-profile NFC North where the other three teams are arguably Super Bowl contenders. In the NFC West, the Cardinals are at the top, but are tied with the Niners and Seahawks and are just one win ahead of the last-place Rams. The Cardinals may be the favorites now, but I'll bet on the Bears to win.

The Cardinals come into the game with a negative point differential despite being at the top of their division. There is a big gap between the 178 points they scored and the 205 points they allowed.

State Farm Stadium hasn't been a fortress this year, going 2-2 on home soil. The offense is good, but it's not one of the best in the league. They are averaging 22.3 points per game, which is even lower than the Bears who are averaging 23.3. They rank in the top half of NFL teams in offensive DVOA, but just shy of 13th, although that's a full 12 spots higher than the Bears.

It's been a tough start to the season for Caleb Williams, with the ups and downs you'd expect from a rookie quarterback, even though he was drafted first overall back in April. In last week's loss to the Commanders, Williams had his worst performance since the opening game of the season, throwing for just 131 yards. Before leaving, he had shown clear signs of improvement. In the previous three games, he had gone from one passing touchdown to two and then four, all with a QB rating over 100 and just one interception.

He has the talent to shine in this league and the Cardinals defense will give him the platform to do so.

The Cardinals have the seventh-worst passing record, allowing 235.6 yards through the air per game. Even if Williams isn't at their best, they can get the job done on the ground as the team is also in seventh-to-last place compared to the run. This defense can't take anything particularly well, and it ranks 26th in DVOA for a reason: it's absolutely terrible.

Chicago's defense will be the difference on Sunday. Even though the Bears aren't great on offense, they are solid on defense. 11th against the pass and 14th against the run. They are a capable unit that will keep the Bears in the game long enough for their offense to take advantage of the Cardinals' soft bottom.

Bears vs. Cardinals, same game play

Bear money line

Kyler Murray under 214.5 yards

D'Andre Swift can touch down at any time

In addition to our Bears vs. Cardinals best bet, we'll also bet on Kyler Murray throwing fewer than 214.5 pass yards. He only exceeded that number twice all season, averaging 204.7 yards per game. This Bears defense is stout, holding their opponents to 199 yards per game.

D'Andre Swift has to score in the last leg. He has scored four touchdowns all season, but they have been in each of the last four games. He has produced a high volume during this period, with between 16 and 21 carries in each game. If he continues like this, he has a great chance of scoring again.

Learn how to place a bet in the same game with these helpful tips and strategies.

Bears vs. Cardinals odds

Live odds for Bears vs. Cardinals

Bears vs. Cardinals opening odds

• Spread: Chicago +1.5 (-110) | Arizona -1.5 (-110)
• Money line:Chicago +105 | Arizona -125
• Over/Under: Over 45 (-110) | Under 45 (-110)

Odds courtesy of BetMGM

Bears vs. Cardinals distribution and over/under analysis

• The Bears are 5-2 against the spread.
• The Cardinals are 5-3 against the spread.
• The Over has landed three of the Bears' last four.
• The Bears won 27-16 when these teams met last December.

What you need to know about the Bears vs. Cardinals betting trend.

The Bears have only allowed 20+ points once this season. Find more NFL betting trends for Bears vs. Cardinals.

Information about the Bears vs. Cardinals game

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