Cardinals vs Bears Odds - Forte, Bears run over cooled-off Cardinals
The sportsbook odds for this week’s matchup between Arizona and Chicago will see a pair of teams that haven’t really gotten on track yet, especially on offense. With a pair of strong-armed quarterbacks, you’d expect this to be a shootout, but look for the Bears to use their ground game to wear down the Cardinals, who don’t fare very well in cold weather.
Cardinals vs Bears Odds: Bears -3, Total: 44.5
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Cardinals vs Bears Odds maker breakdown: The Storyline
Arizona (4-3) had a three-game winning streak snapped in a 34-21 loss in Carolina, in one of the worst performances of Kurt Warner’s storied career. The Bears (4-3) avoided a three-game skid by beating up on poor Cleveland 30-6, but they’re still not even close to challenging in the NFC North, let alone the conference. The Bears are kicking off the second half of a tough schedule, and a win would do wonders for their confidence. Betting Edge: Bears
Cardinals vs Bears Odds maker breakdown: Offense
Warner was responsible for six turnovers against the Panthers, throwing five picks along with a lost fumble. The Cardinals are 18th in the league in offense, which is unheard of, and they’re terrible one-dimensional. They averaged 5.5 yards on the ground against Carolina, yet went away from the running game. It seems like they pretty much wasted a draft pick on running back “Beanie” Wells. The Bears are back in 20th offensively as Jay Cutler and his receivers are still getting used to one another. It also doesn’t help that running back Matt Forte is up and down in his sophomore season, as last week’s 90 yards was his second-highest total of the year. Devin Hester is improving as an every-down receiver, though. Betting Edge: Draw
Cardinals vs Bears Odds maker breakdown: Defense
The Cardinals’ defense, like the offense, is 18th in the league and also like their offensive counterparts, they’re unbalanced. Arizona is one of the best teams against the run, but they even got destroyed in that aspect against the Panthers, who racked up 270 yards on the ground against Arizona. Defensive end Darnell Dockett and safety Antrel Rolle are limping, too. The Bears aren’t the scary defensive team that they’ve usually been, and a lot of that has to do with the absence of injured linebacker Brian Urlacher. Charles Tillman’s interception return for a score against the Browns was Chicago’s first defensive touchdown of the year. When Chicago was an online sports betting favorite for the Super Bowl in 2006, it was powered by their defense, and this year’s group is just getting by until Cutler and the offense gets their thing together. Betting Edge: Bears
Cardinals vs Bears Odds maker breakdown: Notable Injuries
Anquan Boldin (ankle) hasn’t really been 100% all season, and he’ll be questionable this week after re-aggravating his injury against the Panthers. Dockett (ankle) has never missed a game in his five-year career, and Rolle (foot) didn’t practice all last week before playing. The Bears have a clean bill of health, outside of the season-long injury to Urlacher. Betting Edge: Bears
Cardinals vs Bears Odds for total: Over/Under 44.5
Neither offense is performing well, but they have the potential to explode. Together, they average a combined 45.1 points, and the way they’ve been playing, that’s too small of a margin to take the over on. Pick: Under 44.5
Cardinals vs Bears betting breakdown: Outlook and Pick
The Bears have won three in a row over the Cardinals since 2001, and they haven’t scored more than 13 points in two trips to chilly Chicago. We all know the Arizona offense stumbles in the cold, and even though they won in New York a couple of weeks ago, they won’t do it again. Losing Boldin takes away their best possession receiver, and that is key in the cooler temperatures of Chicago. Meanwhile, the Bears hopefully watched tape of Carolina’s win last week, and they can really use Forte to grind out a victory on the ground against the Cardinals. DJ’S PICK: Bears -3
DJ Tompkins joined the Betting Edge to give you the best sports betting information before you make your NFL picks, so take advantage of it and bookmark him at betonline.com. For more on the Cardinals vs Bears matchup, check out our stats section. D.J. Tomkins is one of betonline.com's NFL experts.
