Arizona Cardinals vs. Chicago Bears Matchup Preview (12/5/21): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

Arizona Cardinals vs. Chicago Bears Matchup Preview (12/5/21)

The Arizona Cardinals come to the Midwest in week 13 to face the Chicago Bears.  Arizona had a bye in week 12, but in their last game they went to Seattle and beat the Seahawks 23-13 in week 11.  Arizona now 9-2 has secured a winning record for the first time since 2015; that season they finished 13-3 and lost in the NFC Championship Game.  The Bears won their last game, 16-13 against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day.  Kicker Cairo Santos hit a 28-yard field goal as time expired to secure Chicago’s fourth win of the season.  The Bears have eight takeaways in their four wins this season: three takeaways in seven losses.

Arizona Cardinals vs. Chicago Bears Betting Odds

The Cardinals are a 7.5-point road favorite against the Bears.  Chicago is 4-7 against the spread this season; 2-3 at home.  Arizona is 6-0 on the road this season, each win by at least 10 points.  Chicago has scored over 20 points in five games this season.  The Cardinals are averaging 32.8 points per game on the road and the Bears are averaging 18.6 points per game at Soldier Field.  

My Prediction: Cardinals 27-17, Cardinals cover and under 46.5 points.

TV Schedule

Date: 12/5/21
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Location: Soldier Field – Chicago, IL
TV Coverage: FOX

Arizona Cardinals vs. Chicago Bears Live Stream

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Arizona Cardinals Analysis

The Cardinals offense is averaging 28.2 points per game and averaging 378.9 yards of total offense in 2021.

Kyler Murray one of the most dynamic players in the NFL has been out since sustaining an ankle injury in the final seconds of the Cardinals week 7 loss to the Packers.  The former number one overall pick in 2019 has thrown for 2,276 yards with 17 touchdowns and a league leading 72.7 completion percentage.  Murray also leads the league with a 110.4 quarterback rating.  Additionally, he’s added 146 yards on the ground with three touchdowns.  Arizona certainly hopes he’s back on the field against the Bears this Sunday.  

If Murray is still unable to play Colt McCoy will be under center for Kliff Kingsbury’s team.  The longtime NFL backup has started the last three games for the Cardinals going 2-1.  In week 11 he led Arizona to a 23-13 victory over Seattle, throwing for 328 yards and two touchdowns.  On the season McCoy has thrown for 684 yards, three touchdowns and is completing 75.6% of his passes.

James Connor rushed for 62 yards on 21 carries in the Cardinals victory over the Seahawks in week 11.  In his career he’s 13-0-1 in games when he has at least 20 touches in his career.  Conner has at least one rushing touchdown in five straight games.  This season, the former Pittsburgh Steeler is leading the team in rushing with 555 yards on 146 carries: averaging 50.5 yards per game.  On the season he has 13 touchdowns, tied for the most among Arizona players through the first 11 games since 1950.  

In week 11, Zach Ertz led the team in receiving with eight catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns.  The former Philadelphia Eagle acquired on October 15, 2021, had two touchdown receptions in a game for the first time since the end of the 2019 season.  In five games as a Cardinal, Ertz has 22 receptions for 269 yards and three touchdowns.

Arizona is allowing 317.8 yards of total offense to their opponents and 18.4 points per game this season.

The Cardinals have 29 sacks as a team in 2021.  Markus Golden leads the team with 11 sacks.  Per NFL.com, he’s the sixth Cardinals player since 1982 with more than 10 sacks in multiple seasons.  He also has eight tackles for loss and 15 quarterback hits.  In his 10^th season, Chandler Jones has eight sacks, eight tackles for loss and 20 quarterback hits.  With 105 career sacks, Jones is one of the most underrated pass rushers in the last 10 years.

Arizona Cardinals Depth Chart

QB: Kyler Murray
RB1: James Conner
RB2: Chase Edmonds
WR1: Christian Kirk
WR2: Rondale Moore
WR3: A.J. Green
TE1: Zach Ertz

Chicago Bears Analysis

This season the Bears are 31^st in the league in total offense averaging 296.1 yards per game.  They’re scoring 16.3 points per game, which ranks them at the bottom of the NFL.  

Andy Dalton started in place of the injured Justin Fields on Thanksgiving against the Lions.  In the victory he was 24-39 for 317 yards, one touchdown and an 85.1 passer rating.  Dalton has played in five games and has started three of those games for Chicago this season.  He has thrown for 788 yards, four touchdowns, two interceptions with a 64.3 completion percentage.  Fields was injured in the Bears loss to the Ravens in week 11, the hope is he’s healthy enough to play vs. the Cardinals in week 13.  The 11^th pick in the 2021 draft has thrown for 1,361 yards while rushing for 311 yards and accounting for six touchdowns in 2021.

Darnell Mooney is Chicago’s leading receiver with 46 catches for 694 yards and three touchdowns.  On Thanksgiving he had five catches for 123 yards.  Mooney has over 100 yards receiving in two straight games; he had one in his first 25 games of his career.   Per NFL.com, Darnell Mooney with 107 catches joined Alshon Jeffery as the only wide receivers in Chicago’s history with at least 100 receptions in their first two seasons.

Tight end Cole Kmet had eight catches for 65 yards vs. the Lions; in the game he was targeted a season high 11 times.  In 2021, he’s been targeted 57 times, catching 37 of those passes for 361 yards.  Jimmy Graham who once was one of the premiere tight ends in the NFL, caught a touchdown in the victory over the Lions.  The touchdown catch was the 83^rd of his career, fourth most among tight ends in NFL history.  

After being out for four games, David Montgomery returned in week 9 against the Steelers. In the victory over Detroit, he ran for 46 yards on 17 carries.  Since coming back to the lineup he has rushed for 167 yards on 44 carries.  In 2021, he’s rushed for 476 yards on 113 carries with three touchdowns: averaging 4.2 yards per carry.  

Chicago is allowing 23.1 points per game and 334.4 yards of total offense to their opponents this season.

The Bears defense has 32 sacks on the season.  Robert Quinn has 11 sacks in 2021; he’s the first Chicago player with at least 11 sacks in a season since Khalil Mack had 12.5 in 2018.  He also has 11 tackles for loss and 13 quarterback hits on the season.  Linebacker Roquan Smith suffered a hamstring injury in the win on Thanksgiving.  His status for the game against the Cardinals is unknown.   He’s the team leader in tackles with 113 total tackles (70 solo 43 assists).  Additionally, the former Georgia Bulldog has eight tackles for loss and three quarterback hits on the year.

Chicago Bears Depth Chart

QB: Justin Fields
RB1: David Montgomery
RB2: Damien Williams
WR1: Darnell Mooney
WR2: Allen Robinson II
WR3: Marquise Goodwin
TE1: Cole Kmet
TE2: Jimmy Graham

Arizona Cardinals vs. Chicago Bears Daily Fantasy Picks

Khalil Herbert ran for 344 yards on 78 carries with a touchdown as he took over the running back spot while Montgomery was out.  On Thanksgiving against Detroit, he only had 4 rushing attempts for 9 yards.  The Bears must keep Herbert incorporated in the offense.  He has shown he’s a player who’s difficult to tackle in the open field.  I’d have him on my roster if I’m in a keeper league.

Rondale Moore is a player I would without a doubt try to get on your roster if you’re in a keeper league.  A second-round pick in the 2021 draft, Moore was one of the most dynamic players the Big Ten has seen in the last 10 years.  When he gets the ball in space, he’s a dangerous player.  On the season, the former Purdue Boilermaker has 47 catches for 447 yards and a touchdown.