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Edgar Chaput
Cardinals vs. Bears Point Spread: NFL Week 16 Odds, Prediction
The Arizona Cardinals and Chicago Bears were on the receiving end of defeats in Week 15. In the Cardinals’ case, they were flattened 45-29 by the behemoth that is the San Francisco 49ers. In contrast, the Bears put up a decent fight against the Browns but once again allowed a win to slip through their fingers, 20-17.
Neither team is very good this season, but someone needs to be favoured. Enjoy is while it lasts, Bears fans. Your team is pegged at -4.5 on the NFL odds.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The last time the Cardinals and Bears engaged in a duel was two years ago in December. That was the season that earned QB Kyler Murray’s impressive contract. Arizona won the day 33-22 as they were on their way to the playoffs. The five most recent meetings between these sides have seen a different team win each time. Oddly, the road team has won the last six.
There isn’t much to get excited about regarding these franchises in 2023. Arizona started very poorly without Murray under centre. Even since his return, it’s been an up-and-down journey. The 7-6-1 record against the spread is some reason for optimism, and as +4.5 underdogs against a team that struggles to protect fourth-quarter leads, maybe there’s hope for this game.
Chicago is concluding yet another lost campaign. Their 5-9 record has translated to an average 6-6-2 ATS tally. Things have been a bit better lately, with the loss in Cleveland last Sunday the only ATS blemish in six games. As a bottom-ten team in scoring and preventing others from scoring on them (22nd in both categories), only so much can be reasonably expected here.
Arizona Cardinals
Even with a healthy Kyler Murray, a Cardinals-49ers game was always going to be an unfair fight. Given the 45-29 final score – with the Cards scoring a very late, virtually meaningless TD – it pretty much was that.
Curiously wearing their road white jerseys and allowing the 49ers to feel at home in red and gold, the Cardinals had no answers for what Brock Purdy and company threw at them. Blown coverages allowed Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey to score embarrassingly easy TDs. It was a respectable 21-13 game at the midway break, but problems snowballed from there.
RB James Connor had himself an honourable day, getting 14 carries and rumbling for 86 yards. Fellow back Emari Demercado scored a nice TD on the ground as well. All in all, this never felt like much of a contest. Consider that Arizona scored the TD first and added one with less than a minute to play. In between it was 45-15 for the 49ers…
Chicago Bears
It would be very presumptuous to argue that if the Bears had held on to some of their late leads, they’d have a vastly different season. We’ll never know, to say nothing of the fact that the club has some serious deficiencies. Nonetheless, Week 15 saw them yet again watch a two-score lead evaporate, this time 20-17 to the Browns.
Yes, the Browns have a very good defence. Yes, they defend the run particularly well. Is that a reason to have Justin Fields throw 40 times? If anyone was expecting a better outcome than 19-for-40, 166 yards, one score and two INTs, we don’t know what to tell you. A total of 12 first downs, 4-for-18 on third down, and 236 total yards. Even Joe Flacco at his age can fight back against those numbers, and he tossed three picks! And yet, despite the fourth quarter meltdown – including an audacious, tightrope TD from Amari Cooper – WR Darnell Mooney was in position to catch a last-play, Hail Mary pass in the end zone…except didn’t. On the plus side, Eddie Jackson, Tyrique Stevenson, and Tremaine Edmunds each corralled an interception.
ARI
CHI