Tag: Chicago Bears vs. Arizona Cardinals

Week 13 picks: Who the experts are taking in Bears vs. Cardinals

The Bears are huge underdogs against the top-seeded Cardinals. Here’s how the experts feel heading into their Week 13 matchup.

The Chicago Bears will host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, where Chicago is looking to build on their Thanksgiving win against a talented Arizona squad.

The Bears are coming off a narrow victory over the winless Detroit Lions, where they needed a last-second field goal to beat the worst team in the league. Now, they welcome the best team in the NFL, the 9-2 Cardinals, in a game that could get ugly quick.

There’s absolutely no confidence in Chicago to pull off an upset as 96% of experts are picking the Cardinals to beat the Bears on Sunday, according to NFL Pick Watch. Which isn’t really a surprise given the Cardinals are one of the top teams in the NFC while the Bears are struggling.

Chicago is currently 7.5-point home underdogs, according to Tipico Sportsbook, which makes sense given Arizona is the top team in the NFC and Chicago the 14th. Any hope of an upset is going to require flawless football from all phases as the Cardinals look to maintain home field advantage and that first-round bye.

Can the Bears pull off an upset over a talented Cardinals team? Or will Arizona cruise to another easy win and send Chicago to a new losing streak?

We’ll see Sunday when the Bears and Cardinals kick things off at Noon CT on FOX.

Follow The Bears Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

[listicle id=490586]

Bears announce roster moves ahead of Week 13 matchup vs. Cardinals

The Bears activated Teven Jenkins from IR and flexed 2 players from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday’s game vs. Cardinals.

The Chicago Bears (4-7) are gearing up for a matchup against the Arizona Cardinals (9-2), where Chicago faces a challenge against an Arizona team with the best record in the NFC.

Ahead of Sunday’s game against the Cardinals, the Bears made several roster moves on the active roster and practice squad, which includes rookie offensive tackle Teven Jenkins being activated off injured reserve.

Here’s a look at the roster moves the Bears made on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s game vs. the Cardinals:

Bears vs. Cardinals preview: Who has the advantage in Week 13

We went deep into the Bears-Cardinals matchup with Cards Wire to determine who has the advantage at the five key factors.

The Chicago Bears (4-7) will host the Arizona Cardinals (9-2) on Sunday, where Chicago is looking to build on their Thanksgiving win in Week 12. But with a loaded Cardinals team coming to town, it’s going to be difficult.

When it comes to determining who wins football games, there are a number of factors that contribute to a victory. Solid quarterback play, winning the line of scrimmage, protecting the football and taking it away, controlling important situations and overcoming or taking advantage of an injury situation.

In our weekly preview series, Alyssa Barbieri from Bears Wire and Jess Root from Cards Wire went deep into the matchup to determine who has the advantage at the five key factors for winning football games in the NFL.

Here’s the broadcast map for Bears vs. Cardinals in Week 13

The Bears will host the Cardinals in Week 13. See if the Bears game will be on in your part of the country.

The Chicago Bears will host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, where Chicago is looking to build on their Thanksgiving win over the Detroit Lions. But that’s going to be challenging against one of the best teams in the NFL.

The Bears snapped their five-game losing streak with that narrow victory over Detroit, but it didn’t inspire a lot of confidence. With Chicago battling some injuries to key starters, including quarterback Justin Fields, Linebacker Roquan Smith, receivers Allen Robinson and Marquise Goodwin and defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, it’s going to be difficult to stop this high-powered Arizona offense.

Will the Bears be on in your part of the country?

If you live in the green area of the map, you’ll be able to watch Bears-Cardinals locally at Noon CT on FOX (via 506sports.com).

Most of the country will get the Bears-Cardinals game. Others will get Bucs-Falcons (red) and Giants-Dolphins (yellow) as part of the early slate of FOX games.

Adam Amin and Mark Schlereth will be on the Bears-Cardinals call for FOX.

The Bears and Cardinals kick things off Sunday at Noon CT on FOX.

Follow The Bears Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

[listicle id=490586]

Bear Necessities: Andy Dalton ready for challenge against Cardinals

The Bears will host the top-seeded Cardinals on Sunday, where a vaunted Arizona defense awaits Andy Dalton.

This is our online morning newsletter, Bear Necessities. Subscribe to get the latest Bears news delivered to your mailbox every day.

With Justin Fields sidelined with cracked ribs, veteran Andy Dalton will make his second straight start at quarterback for the Bears. Last week, Chicago got the worst team in the NFL against the Lions. This week, the best team in the Cardinals.

While Arizona has been hailed for their offense, and rightfully so, their defense has been a big factor in the team’s success. The Cardinals are ranked fifth in total defense, fourth in points allowed and have the sixth-most sacks in the NFL.

Still, Dalton says the Bears are ready for the challenge.

“Every game you play there are things that are difficult,” Dalton said. “It’s never just easy out there. We know the [defense] we’re playing against. I feel like we’ve had a really good week of work. Now it comes down to getting ready on Sunday to show what we can do.”

Believe it or not, Chicago is still in the thick of the NFC wild-card race, where they’re just one game out of that final seventh seed, which gives even more meaning to this game.

But Dalton also has an opportunity to make a case for himself as a starter for another team next season. Especially against this talented Cardinals defense.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity to be out there,” Dalton said. “It’s a lot more fun to play than to be sitting on the sidelines. I’m just trying to make the most of it. I’m trying to do everything I can to help this team win, and the rest of all that will take care of itself.”

Analyzing Bears’ final injury report for Week 13 against Cardinals

The Bears released the final injury report ahead of their game vs. Cardinals, where they’ll miss several starters. We’re breaking it down.

The Chicago Bears released their final injury report ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Arizona Cardinals, where there’s plenty to dissect.

The Bears will be without several key players, again, as they welcome the top-ranked team in the NFL to town. Quarterback Justin Fields and receiver Allen Robinson are doubtful while defensive tackle Akiem Hicks and receiver Marquise Goodwin have been ruled out.

The encouraging news is that linebacker Roquan Smith hasn’t been ruled out of this game as he nurses a hamstring injury. Smith is officially a game-time decision.

Here’s a look at the Bears’ final injury report heading into Sunday’s game, with analysis:

There’s still a chance Bears LB Roquan Smith could suit up vs. Cardinals

Bears LB Roquan Smith returned to practice Friday, where he was ruled a game-time decision against the Cardinals.

Linebacker Roquan Smith has been the glue of this Bears defense over the last couple of seasons, which is why the idea of Chicago facing the top-ranked Cardinals without him was a terrifying thought.

After suffering a hamstring injury in last Thursday’s game against the Lions, it was expected that Smith would miss Sunday’s matchup against the Cardinals, and potentially more time.

But Friday’s practice brought a pleasant surprise, as Smith returned to practice and, according to 670 the Score’s Mark Grote, “looked great.” Smith has been dubbed questionable — a game-time decision — against the Cardinals.

If Smith is indeed healthy enough to suit up for the Bears, it would be a huge boost for this defense. Smith has again been the best player on this defense, alongside outside linebacker Robert Quinn, and they’re going to need Smith if they stand any chance of pulling off an upset against Arizona.

But while Smith is officially questionable, it’s not a guarantee he’ll suit up Sunday. If there’s any doubt about whether he’s ready, Chicago shouldn’t chance their best defensive player further aggravating his hamstring, especially given those soft tissue injuries can be nagging.

It’s certainly a storyline worth monitoring as the Bears head into a challenging game against the top team in the NFC.

[listicle id=490557]

Bears expected to activate OT Teven Jenkins on Saturday, will be available vs. Cardinals

The Bears are expected to activate rookie OT Teven Jenkins from IR this weekend, where he’ll be available to suit up against the Cardinals.

While there’s been a lot of injury woes for the Bears over the last few weeks, there is some good news on the injury front as rookie offensive tackle Teven Jenkins is expected to return.

Bears head coach Matt Nagy told reporters Friday that Jenkins is expected to be activated on Saturday and would be available to suit up against the Cardinals.

Whether or not Jenkins makes his NFL debut remains to be seen, as the Bears could ease him into things, but Jenkins is on track to make his debut this season.

Jenkins suffered a back injury before training camp, which ultimately requited surgery and landed him on injured reserve. Nagy sounded optimistic that Jenkins would be able to return at some point this season, and it appears that’s now the case.

The Bears started Jenkins’ 21-day window for return from IR three weeks ago, and they had until Monday to activate him or else he’d be shelved for the season.

Bears coaches have said that they envision Jenkins getting work at left tackle, which makes sense given fellow rookie Larry Borom has been getting snaps at right tackle — and has fared well in his first few starts.

[listicle id=490557]

Bears will start QB Andy Dalton vs. Cardinals, Justin Fields not medically cleared

Andy Dalton will get the start for the Bears against the Cardinals as Justin Fields hasn’t been medically cleared to return.

While Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields made his return to practice this week after suffering cracked ribs in a Week 11 loss to the Ravens, it sounds like the team is playing it safe with their rookie.

Fields has been ruled doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals. Bears head coach Matt Nagy said Fields has been “making good progress” but he hasn’t been medically cleared.

That means it’ll be veteran Andy Dalton making his second straight start after last week’s Thanksgiving win over the Lions. Nick Foles will serve as the backup quarterback. Fields has been limited all week in practice.

Nagy reiterated that Fields will be the starter once healthy. But right now, it’s about getting Fields right before he steps back out on the field.

“Now the biggest thing for him is gonna be being able to understand, probably more than anything, the pain management — how things feel,” Nagy said.

It’s probably best to err on the side of caution with Fields, who did suffer cracked ribs, and with the Bears facing a Cardinals pass rush that’s done a great job getting after the quarterback.

[listicle id=490451]

6 burning questions for Bears against the Cardinals in Week 13

To get the inside scoop on the Bears’ Week 13 opponent, we checked in with Cards Wire, who offered insight on what we can expect Sunday.

The Chicago Bears (4-7) will host the Arizona Cardinals (9-2) on Sunday, the first of two straight games against the NFC’s top-ranked seeds coming off a bye week.

Arizona is a heavy favorite in this matchup, to the surprise of no one, and Chicago faces a tall order defending a Cardinals team that boasts one of the NFL’s best offenses and defenses.

To get the inside scoop on the Bears’ Week 13 opponent, we checked in with Jess Root at Cards Wire, who offered his insight on what we can expect for Sunday.

Here’s what we learned: