Staff Predictions: Cardinals (Nearly) Sweep Bears

The Arizona Cardinals are heavily favored to defeat the Chicago Bears in these staff predictions.

Oct 27, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back DeeJay Dallas (20) runs with the football against the Miami Dolphins during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Arizona Cardinals are fresh off their first batch of consecutive wins under head coach Jonathan Gannon.

Are the Cardinals catching fire at the right time?

Week 9 will see the Chicago Bears hit State Farm Stadium, also with four wins on the season. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams seems to slowly but surely figuring things out at the NFL level with quality talent on both sides of the ball.

Our staff predictions for how things shake out:

Staff Predictions: Bears at Cardinals

Donnie Druin: Are the Cardinals about to stack three consecutive wins? The Bears stroll into town with rookie Caleb Williams and a plethora of names who can make an impact, and similar to Arizona, they’ve been a roller coaster this season. Though it’s close, the Cardinals appear to be the better team from top to bottom. Give me the vet in Kyler Murray at home in front of the Red Sea. AZ 23, CHI 17

Kevin Hicks: This has been a contest that has been long anticipated due to the QB matchup between rookie phenom Caleb Williams and Kyler Murray. Chicago is coming off of a heartbreaking loss to the Washington Commanders - and one could wonder if that loss will negatively impact the team morale coming into this week. Despite that, Chicago possesses ample talent on both sides of the ball, but the Bears’ defense may be the toughest code to crack at the end of the day. It will be very interesting to see how Drew Petzing plans to utilize and scheme Marvin Harrison Jr. this week while the stud wideout will be presumably shadowed by one of the best corners in the NFL in Jaylon Johnson. In the end, the Cardinals should be able to carry the recently-built momentum into a crucial victory that could lead to GM Monti Ossenfort ultimately deciding to make a trade or two ahead of the deadline on Tuesday. AZ 26, CHI 20

Richie Bradshaw: The Cardinals are riding hot right now with a two-game heater and winners of three of their last four games. The Cards are finding ways to win football games (hello, Chad Ryland!) despite any perceived talent differential with their opponent. AZ is playing up to their competition and it’s a refreshing sight for hurting fans. The Cardinals return to the desert to host Caleb Williams and the Bears, who are also playing good football around the board. Chicago has a stingy defense with an up-and-down offense, so this should be a fun game to watch. I don’t expect this to be a game with tons of offensive fireworks, but I am trusting the veteran quarterback to lead his team to victory. Make it three-in-a-row for the Cards as they continue vying for first-place in the NFC West! AZ 20 CHI 14

Kyler Burd: Although entering this game with the same 4-4 record, the Cardinals and Bears have had very different seasons. For the Bears it has been a story of a great defense and a rollercoaster rookie quarterback against some of the weaker competition in the league. For Arizona, a bendy defense and an offense on some spiritual journey to “find themselves” have taken on many of the top dogs in professional football. In this matchup, the Cardinals will face one of the tougher defenses thus far in the season but with Kyler Murray’s growth and years of experience, he should be able to put up points and the defense, while certainly understaffed still, should be opportunistic and force Caleb Williams into a few mistakes. At home, take the Cardinals to build off back-to-back wins and make it a real win streak. AZ 27 CHI 17

Alex D’Agostino: The Cardinals have momentum in their favor, but the Bears are coming off one of their most heartbreaking losses of the season, with an impressive defensive performance despite the final score (and final play). The Cardinals are playing some of their best offensive football, and Kyler Murray is playing well, but the key will once again be the turnover battle. It will be tough to move the ball on Chicago, and a Bears secondary hungry for redemption could find their way to some interceptions, even considering Murray has kept the ball out of harm’s way. This could be a somewhat low-scoring affair regardless, but I can’t trust the Cardinals’ pass rush to not make Caleb Williams look like his USC self for the first time all season, and I haven’t seen enough offensive consistency from Drew Petzing and the Cardinals to think this will be Arizona’s third straight win. CHI 26 AZ 18