Cards Favored To Continue Road Success In Chicago

No team has been better on the road this season than the NFC-leading Cardinals (9-2 SU, 8-3 ATS), who have won and covered all six of their games as the visitors. Arizona returns from its bye week to take on the Bears (4-7, 4-7), who have dropped five of their last six games.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

If the Sportsbook line of Cardinals -7 holds or goes higher, it’ll be just the second time in the last seven years that the Bears have been underdogs of a touchdown or more at Soldier Field. That’ll likely be the case as Arizona had already been bet up to 7.5-point chalk by Monday night.

Arizona News & Notes

With the Cardinals 0-2 SU after a bye in his tenure as head coach, Kliff Kingsbury is shaking things up this year.

“We did a lot of research on how we wanted to handle the bye, looked at different teams that performed well after the bye last year, and adjusted to a similar schedule,” Kingsbury told the Associated Press.

Regardless of what the Cards do differently during the bye, time to rest should be their biggest benefit. Quarterback Kyler Murray (ankle) and star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (hamstring) might both be able to return to the lineup after missing Arizona’s last three games due to injury. Arizona still managed to go 2-1 SU and ATS without them, with both of its victories and covers coming on the road.

That success away from home is nothing new for the Cardinals, who have performed at a historic level as the visitors this season. Arizona is 6-0 SU and ATS away from the desert, with all of those victories coming by 10 points or more. The Cards are just the third team in NFL history to win each of its first six road games by double digits, and the first team to do so since 1968.

Chicago News & Notes

Although Andy Dalton has played well in place of rookie quarterback Justin Fields, coach Matt Nagy has made no secret that Fields will resume the starting role once he’s healed from cracked ribs.

“When Justin gets back to being healthy, he’s back in. And when you have that plan, you stick to it and you don’t look back,” Nagy told the Associated Press this week.

With Dalton under center, the Bears had a season-high 317 passing yards in last week’s 16-14 win at Detroit that snapped a five-game losing streak. Chicago needed that production through the air because of its inability to run the ball against the Lions’ defense, averaging just 2.3 yards per rush.

Lead back David Montgomery has yet to regain the form he had before suffering a knee sprain earlier this season, averaging 0.7 yards less per carry since returning from the injury.

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How Arizona Will Cover

Getting Murray and/or Hopkins back would obviously be a big boost for the Cardinals, but they’ve already shown they can win without their two offensive leaders. With an extra week of rest and preparation, expect Arizona to turn in a determined and focused effort.

How Chicago Will Cover

The Bears have been tough to score on at Soldier Field, where they’ve held three of their five opponents to 17 points or less. In what should be a low-scoring game in cold weather, getting a touchdown with the hosts looks like pretty good value.

Computer Pick: Cardinals -8

We have reached Week 13 of the season and if you’re looking for this week’s predictions, head on over to our NFL Computer Picks page.