Bears vs. Cardinals Predictions, Picks & Odds: NFL Week 9, Sunday 11/3

Here’s how competitive the NFC West and NFC North are. The Cardinals technically sit in first of the NFC West with a 4-4 record. The 49ers and Rams are also 4-4 with the Rams at 3-4. The Bears, with a superior 4-3 record, sit in last in the NFC North. The Lions are 6-1, the Packers are 6-2, and the Vikings are 5-2.
With the standings so tight, every one of these games is crucial. A win or loss this week could drastically alter the standings for both teams. And, with such a close spread, we’ll need to dig in deep to the data and narratives to make our Week 9 Bears vs. Cardinals predictions!
Even if you just want to see the Bears vs. Cardinals odds and have Bears vs. Cardinals picks of your own, don’t forget to scroll down at the end to see how you can scoop up a $1,500 BetMGM Sportsbook sign-up bonus!
Bears vs. Cardinals Predictions For NFL Week 9, Sunday 11/3
The Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals have only played a couple times over the last few years. Last year the Bears won 27-16 and, in 2021, the Cardinals won 33-22. But the Caleb Williams era didn’t start until this year so those don’t really give us much information as opposed to say, the history of Joe Burrow vs. Patrick Mahomes.
The Cardinals and Bears have two common opponents. Both teams played and beat the Los Angeles Rams. And both teams lost to the Washington Commanders. The Cardinals won in dramatic fashion last week against the Dolphins and the Bears lost in even more dramatic fashion to the Washington Commanders on a game winning Hail Mary.
Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams Bounce Back?
So far this year, Caleb Williams has taken advantage of the bad defenses he’s played, carving up the Jaguars, Panthers, and Colts. However, he has struggled a bit when facing some of the tougher matchups like the Tennessee Titans or the Houston Texans. Lucky for Caleb, the Cardinals defense is currently ranked 26th in DVOA per FTN Fantasy so this should make for a friendlier matchup.
With the wide receiver injury bug seemingly going around, it’s good to see that all three starters are healthy in DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze. Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett are capable pass catching tight ends as well. And D’Andre Swift has seemingly done a complete 180 - after a terrible first three starts he has looked much more efficient over the last four and scored a touchdown in each game.
The Bears have been a top 10 unit on defense, especially vs. the pass where they rank 6th in DVOA and are allowing under 200 yards per game. Jaylon Johnson has proven to be one of the more difficult matchups for wideouts this year.
Arizona Cardinals: Can The Defense Step Up?
Statistically, Kyler Murray has been a pretty decent quarterback in his career. That’s especially true in fantasy football where he’s a top five quarterback of all time in points per game, thanks in large part to his rushing ability. The Cardinals opted to bring in a defensive-minded coach in Jonathan Gannon while providing Murray with weapons Marvin Harrison and Trey McBride via the draft and James Conner through free agency.
Marvin Harrison hasn’t quite lived up to the billing just yet but it’s still early. And he has flashed at times. James Conner has had a rare healthy season so far where he has performed well and Trey McBride has been a shining star, despite not finding the endzone. The Cardinals have done well protecting Kyler Murray as of late - he has not been sacked in three straight games.
After seeing coaches like Brian Flores and even Sean Payton in Denver turn the defenses around in short order, we have to wonder when that will start happening for the defensive guru Gannon. He’s been with the Arizona Cardinals for 25 games now (win-loss record of 8-17) and it is still one of the worst units in the league. Perhaps they will load up in the draft in 2025.
Bears vs. Cardinals Odds, Spreads, Total & Betting Lines
As promised, the latest Bears vs. Cardinals odds can be found below courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook:
- Point Spread: Chicago Bears +1 (-110) vs. Arizona Cardinals -1 (-110)
- Money Line: Chicago Bears (+100) vs. Arizona Cardinals (-120)
- Game Total (Over/Under): Over 44.5 (-110) vs. Under 44.5 (-110)
Bears vs. Cardinals: Cardinals -1 (-110 at BetMGM Sportsbook)
The Cardinals are hot right now, winning three of their last four games against some quality opponents that included their division rival San Francisco 49ers. In the one game they did lose, Marvin Harrison was knocked out of the game after only eight snaps.
Kyler Murray has been playing good football and the offensive line has done an incredible job of keeping him upright. The Bears have been susceptible to the run where James Conner can do damage and, even if Marvin Harrison has a tough matchup with Jaylon Johnson, Trey McBride has been as good of a weapon as any.
At the end of the day, this bet boils down to Jonathan Gannon being able to confuse Caleb Williams and generate turnovers at some point. It’s a tall order with this unit but the Rams were able to get it done with a subpar defense. Kyler Murray has shown up virtually every week, but Caleb Williams is only showing up half the time. Which happens with rookies. We’ll take the Cardinals here.
Bears vs. Cardinals Injury Report & Latest News
Finally, let’s take a quick look at the projected starting lineups for both teams heading into tonight’s matchup:
CHI Bears
- OL Kiran Amegadjie - Out
- DB Jaquan Brisker - Out
- OL Braxton Jones - Out
- DB Kyler Gordon - Questionable
- DL Montez Sweat - Questionable
- OL Ryan Bates - Questionable
- OL Teven Jenkins - Questionable
- OL Larry Borom - Questionable
ARI Cardinals
- DL Darius Robinson - Out
- OT Jonah Williams - Out
- DT Naquon Johns - Questionable
- DT Roy Lopez - Questionable
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Player News
Dolphins signed No. 13 overall pick DT Kenneth Grant to a four-year contract.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Grant will sign his contract today. The former Michigan defensive tackle is expected to fill a major void left by Christian Wilkins, who left for the Raiders in the 2024 offseason. Grant totaled 32 tackles, three sacks, and seven TFLs in his final season at Michigan and excelled at stopping the run while also generating 27 pressures in his final season, per PFF.
Beat reporter John Hendrix reports that free agent WR Donovan Peoples-Jones is among the 16 players that the Saints will host for their rookie minicamp.
Peoples-Jones last played regular season snaps with the Lions back in 2023, when he caught 13-of-24 targets for 155 yards. He is highly unlikely to return to fantasy relevance at this point but could perhaps sign on as a special teams contributor.
Titans signed fourth-round pick WR Elic Ayomanor to a four-year contract.
Ayomanor will now begin learning behind Calvin Ridley. Although Ayomanor is unlikely to find a meaningful role in year one, dynasty managers should note his status as training camp gets underway this summer. The former Stanford receiver flashed big-play ability in his two college seasons.
Buccaneers signed seventh-round pick WR Tez Johnson to a four-year contract.
Johnson will serve as a rotational deep-threat option for Baker Mayfield. His thin frame (5'10/154) simply does not lend itself to the repeated hits one incurs in a full-time role. Johnson did earn 100-plus targets in his two seasons at Oregon, though. His big-play style make him a better fit in best ball for now, pending any major on-field breakthroughs.
Giants waived DT Casey Rogers.
Rogers was a 2024 undrafted free agent and logged 33 defensive snaps for the Giants in his rookie season. He is credited with zero tackles and/or sacks. He may find his way onto another roster as a practice squad option.
Vikings signed third-round pick WR Tai Felton to a four-year contract.
Felton is quietly in play to challenge Vikings No. 3 WR Jalen Nailor in training camp. Nailor (5'11/190) caught 28-of-42 targets for 414 yards and six touchdowns in his first season as a starter last year, with the latter category buoying his fantasy productivity. Felton (6'1/183), meanwhile, caught 96-of-143 targets for 1,119 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 2.32 yards per route run in his final college season. Fantasy managers should monitor Felton’s training camp reports this summer, as he could have a matchup-based WR5 role if everything falls into place.