The Chicago Bears will try to build off last week’s win when they visit the Arizona Cardinals. Game time is set for 4:25 EST on Sunday, September 23, at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Fans in local markets can watch the game on Fox.
If we look at this week’s NFL odds, the Bears are 6-point favorites on the road. That line has gone down after Chicago opened as 6.5-point favorites. The over/under for the game is set at 38 points.
The Bears entered this season as a trendy pick to be a breakout team, and they’ve looked the part thus far. Unfortunately, they were victimized in Week 1 by an amazing comeback by Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. If not for an unreal comeback by Rodgers, the Bears may have very well opened the season with a win at Lambeau Field. Fortunately for Chicago, the Bears were able to bounce back on Monday night last week, knocking off the Seahawks 24-17 to start the season 1-1.
The Cardinals have not been quite as fortunate, losing two games in lopsided fashion. It started with a 24-6 home loss to the Redskins. Things went from bad to worse last week when the Cardinals were shutout by the Rams 34-0. Needless to say, these past two weeks have been a living nightmare for first-year head coach Steve Wilks. However, playing the Rams on the road may be the toughest game any NFL team has this season, so surely things can only get better for Arizona.
Despite the poor start and the fact that Arizona has scored six points in two games, Wilks says that veteran Sam Bradford will remain the starting quarterback. However, some have already called for rookie Sam Rosen to replace him. If Bradford can’t starting turning things around against the Bears, it’s possible that Rosen could replace him before the end of Sunday’s game.
You almost want to feel bad for the Cardinals and root for them to get better because they have been atrocious the first couple of weeks. Unfortunately for Arizona, I don’t see things getting any better this week. The Bears aren’t perfect, but they’re the kind of team that should win comfortably against the Cardinals, so I have no problem swallowing the points for the road favorite in this game.
After last week’s shutout loss, Wilks hinted that changes were coming to the Arizona offense. However, he hasn’t removed Bradford as the starting quarterback. Instead, the Cardinals are likely to simplify their offense in hopes that it will make it easier for Bradford and company to execute. However, I think Arizona’s problems on offense run a little deeper than that.
Outside of Bradford’s inability to complete any pass that’s more than a few yards down the field, the Arizona offensive line has held the Cardinals back. With one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL, running back David Johnson has had a hard time finding running room. Without a running game, Bradford has little chance of making plays. It’s already hard enough for Bradford without many proven receiving targets outside of the aging Larry Fitzgerald.
Against the Chicago defense, these issues aren’t likely to get any better. The Bears have done a good job of shutting down the running game of opposing teams. Once they force teams into passing situations, the Bears are able to unleash Khalil Mack and the rest of their pass rush. Mack has made a profound impact in two games, as the Bears already lead the NFL with 10 sacks, including six last week against Russell Wilson.
If the mobile Wilson couldn’t get away from Chicago’s pass rush, Bradford doesn’t have much of a chance either. He’ll either have to take sacks or get rid of the ball. Either way, it’ll be tough for the Arizona offense to sustain drives. The Cardinals may also be at risk for helping the Bears score defensive touchdowns, something they’ve already done twice this year.
If the Cardinals want to stay in this game, they’re going to have to play quality defense to stop the Chicago offense from scoring. The Bears are far from a juggernaut offensively, as Mitchell Trubisky is still finding his way. However, Chicago’s backfield tandem of Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen can be quite potent. Even when opposing teams stack the box, they aren’t afraid to run the ball, which does indicate a lack of faith in Trubisky.
In any event, the Cardinals have been shredded on the ground in both games this season. Even the aging Adrian Peterson nearly reached the century mark in Week 1. That doesn’t bode well for their chances to stop Howard and Cohen. Sooner or later, one would expect the Bears to find their way to the end zone behind those two.
The bottom line is that without evidence to the contrary, we have to assume the Cardinals will continue to be one of the worst teams in the NFL. The Bears may not be the kind of team to blow teams out, but when you’re not sure if Arizona will be able to score at all, they’re more than capable of covering a 6-point spread. I’ll go against convention here and lean toward the Bears to cover on the road.