close
close

Le-verdict

News with a Local Lens

Cards, Murray attempt to extend their winning streak to 3 games when they host the Bears
minsta

Cards, Murray attempt to extend their winning streak to 3 games when they host the Bears

Chicago (4-3) at Arizona (4-4)

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EST, CBS

BetMGM NFL Odds: Cardinals by 1.

Against the spread: Bears 4-2-1; Cardinals 5-3

Series record: Bears lead 58-29-6.

Last meeting: The Bears beat the Cardinals 27-16 in Chicago on December 24, 2023.

Last week: the Bears lost to the Commanders 18-15; The Cardinals beat the Dolphins 28-27.

Bears offense: total (27), rush (19), pass (28), score (16).

Bears defense: overall (t11), rush (14), pass (11), score (4).

Cardinals offense: totals (12), rushing (7), passing (22), scoring (18).

Cardinals defense: overall (27), rush (26), pass (26), score (24).

Turnover differential: Bears plus-5; Cardinals plus-1.

Bears player to watch

QB Caleb Williams: The No. 1 overall draft pick had a rough outing after a string of promising performances. He was 10 of 24, completing the fewest passes of his young career. Williams missed a goal-line exchange with offensive lineman Doug Kramer in the fourth quarter and earlier took a 15-yard sack that put Chicago out of field goal range against Washington.

Cardinals player to watch

Rookie WR Marvin Harrison Jr. is coming off one of the best games of his brief professional career after catching six passes for 111 yards and a touchdown against the Dolphins. The No. 4 overall pick has had his ups and downs in his first season in the league, but he has already demonstrated the ability to be a premier pass catcher.

Key match

Arizona QB Kyler Murray’s defense against the Bears: Chicago had a solid defensive unit this season, ranking in the top half of the league in most major categories. Murray has played some of his best ball over the past month and is coming off a season-high 307-yard passing performance against the Dolphins.

Key injuries

Bears DE Montez Sweat (shin), LT LT Braxton Jones (knee) and guards Teven Jenkins (knee) and Bill Murray (chest) left last week’s game. Murray was placed on injured reserve this week. … Cardinals DL Darius Robinson (calf) could make his NFL debut after missing the first eight games. RT Jonah Williams (knee) was designated to return from IR this week and has started practicing. RT Kelvin Beachum (groin), DL Naquan Jones (thigh), DL Roy Lopez (ankle) and CB Sean Murphy-Bunting (neck) are also dealing with injuries.

Series Notes

The teams have the longest rivalry in league history, first meeting in 1920. They have split their last six games in the series, alternating wins and losses.

Statistics and others

Chicago is down to just 10 points in the first quarter…The Bears have held opponents to 21 points or fewer in 13 straight games, the NFL’s longest streak since Baltimore’s 13-game streak from 2019-2020….Defense limited the opposition to seven touchdowns. 19 trips to the red zone. … RB D’Andre Swift rushed for 129 yards on 18 carries last week, including a 56-yard touchdown run. He has totaled 386 yards and four touchdowns in the last four games. He also received 147 yards receiving in that span, although he didn’t catch a pass against Washington. … Williams has been sacked 23 times — third in the NFL behind Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson (33) and the New York Giants’ Daniel Jones (25). …P Tory Taylor ranks second in the NFL with eight failed attempts in the 10. …Cardinals RB James Conner is scheduled to make his 100th NFL appearance on Sunday. He will have played 50 games for the Steelers and 50 for the Cardinals. … Arizona’s offensive line hasn’t allowed a sack in three games. It’s the first time for the franchise since 1975. The offensive line has allowed just 11 sacks in eight games, which ranks second in the NFL behind Buffalo. … Murray is tied with Carson Palmer for fourth in franchise history with 105 touchdown passes. … S Budda Baker has 79 tackles this season, which ranks first in the league for DBs. … K Chad Ryland has three game-winning goals in the last four games. … TE Trey McBride has 42 catches for 446 yards this season, both of which rank in the top three for tight ends.

Fancy tip

Arizona WR Michael Wilson has scored a touchdown in two of the last three games. He doesn’t typically get a lot of volume, but could be worth a flex play due to his nose for the end zone.

___

AP NFL: