NFL Picks 11/3 – Chicago Bears @ Arizona Cardinals

NFL Picks 11/3 – Chicago Bears @ Arizona Cardinals

by Thomas Quaynor for Wannamakeabet.com

The Chicago Bears (4-3) visit the Arizona Cardinals (4-4) on Sunday afternoon at State Farm Stadium. The teams met last season with Chicago knocking off visiting Arizona 27-16. The last seven matchups between Chicago and Arizona has seen each team win every other game dating back to 2006. The road team had won six straight in the series prior to last season’s victory for Chicago. Arizona is a 1.5-point favorite and the total is 44.5.

Chicago is coming off a brutal 18-15 loss at Washington last week after Jayden Daniels completed a 52-yard Hail Mary pass to Noah Brown as time expired. Bears running back D’Andre Swift finished with 129 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown in the loss. His 56-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter sparked a Bears offense that was sluggish for most of the game. Defensive end Montez Sweat had four tackles and a sack in his return to Washington where he spent the first five seasons of his career before a mid-season trade to Chicago on Oct. 31, 2023. The loss halted Chicago’s three-game winning streak. 

Arizona picked up their second straight walk-off victory last week after a 28-27 comeback win at Miami. Arizona kicker Chad Ryland hit a 34-yard field goal as time expired. Ryland connected on a 32-yard field goal on the last play to beat the Los Angeles Chargers 17-15 in the previous game. Quarterback Kyler Murray led Arizona on a 13-play, 71-yard drive over the final 5:01 that put Ryland in position to win it. Murray completed 26 of 36 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns. It was his first 300-yard passing game of the season.

NFL Picks 11/3 – Chicago Bears @ Arizona Cardinals

Arizona produced two 100-yard receivers in last week’s win at Miami. Tight end Trey McBride led Arizona with nine catches for 124 yards, while highly-touted rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. hauled in six catches for 111 and a touchdown. It marked the first time Arizona had two 100-yard receivers in a game since September 2021. Arizona has won back-to-back games for the first time since Oct. 24, 2021. Three of Arizona’s four wins have been decided by two points or less. 

This matchup features two starting quarterbacks with similar backstories. Chicago’s Caleb Williams and Arizona’s Kyler Murray were both selected No. 1 overall, both won the Heisman Trophy and both played for ‘quarterback whisperer’ Lincoln Riley. Murray thrived under Riley at Oklahoma en route to winning the Heisman Trophy in 2018 and then being selected No. 1 overall by Arizona a few months later. Williams followed Riley from Oklahoma to USC where he also thrived and won the Heisman as a true sophomore in 2022 before being selected No. 1 overall by Chicago in the 2024 NFL draft. 

GAME STORYLINES: CHICAGO

The Chicago Bears have been desperately searching for a franchise quarterback since Jim McMahon was traded to the San Diego Chargers in 1989. Chicago had high hopes for the likes of Erik Kramer, Rex Grossman, Jay Cutler, Kyle Orton, Mitch Trubisky and Justin Fields but they all ended up flaming out and being jettisoned after showing glimpses of greatness. Chicago’s knack of whiffing on starting quarterbacks may have come to an end after they landed the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft and selected USC quarterback Caleb Williams.

Caleb Williams entered the NFL as one of the most ballyhooed college quarterback prospects in history after a stellar 3-year college career at Oklahoma and USC. As a true sophomore in 2022, Williams won the Heisman Trophy after passing for 4.537 yards with 42 touchdowns to 5 interceptions while completing 66.6% of his passes in 14 games. He also rushed for 382 yards and 10 touchdowns. Williams threw for 93 touchdowns to 14 interceptions in his 3 college seasons. 

After getting off to a lackluster start through the first two games of the season — 0 touchdowns to 2 interceptions, Caleb Williams began to perform like the star that many projected for him. Williams passed for 9 touchdowns to 2 interceptions over a 4-game span from Weeks 3-7 as the Bears went 3-1. On the season, Williams has passed for 1,448 yards with 9 touchdowns to 5 interceptions while completing 62.8% of his passes through 7 games. It appears as if Chicago has now found the franchise quarterback that has eluded them for about 35 years.

NFL Picks 11/3 – Chicago Bears @ Arizona Cardinals

Wide receiver DJ Moore headlines a group of talented skill position players on the Bears offense. The 27-year-old Moore is coming off a spectacular year in 2023 when he amassed career highs of 96 catches for 1,364 yards and 8 touchdowns in his first season with the Bears and sixth NFL season. His numbers are surprisingly down this year (33 catches for 341 yards, 3 touchdowns) through 7 games and he’s on pace to have his worst year as an NFL player, but he’s more than capable of turning things around during the second half of the season.

Chicago possesses one of the better defenses in the NFL led by the trio of defensive end Montez Sweat (15 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble in 7 games), All-Pro cornerback Jaylon Johnson (19 tackles, 2 interceptions in 7 games), linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (44 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble in 7 games) and defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. (21 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 fumble recovery in 7 games). The Bears defense ranks among the top 10 in points allowed, yards allowed and takeaways. 

GAME STORYLINES: ARIZONA

Kyler Murray may be small in stature but he’s been highly effective as Arizona’s franchise quarterback. Arizona selected Murray with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft after he won the Heisman Trophy with Oklahoma. Murray hit the ground running as a rookie and was named the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. Murray finished his rookie year passing for 3,722 yards with 20 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. He added 544 rushing yards with 4 rushing touchdowns. Murray improved in each of the next 2 seasons and led Arizona to the postseason with an 11-6 record in 2021.

Unfortunately, Kyler Murray suffered a torn ACL in December 2022 which pretty much derailed two seasons for Arizona as he missed the final 6 games of the 2022 season and the first 11 games of last season. Arizona finished with identical 4-13 records in 2022 and 2023. Murray is now back at full strength and Arizona has already matched the 4 win total of each of the last two seasons. Arizona is also tied atop of the NFC West standings at 4-4. Murray has passed for 1,638 yards with 11 touchdowns to 3 interceptions through 8 games on the season. He’s also rushed for 344 yards and is averaging a whopping 8.4 yards per carry.

The trio of running back James Conner (557 rushing yards, 155 receiving yards, 4 touchdowns in 8 games), tight end Trey McBride (42 catches for 446 yards in 7 games) and rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (26 catches for 411 yards, 5 touchdowns in 8 games) are standouts in Arizona’s offense. The 29-year-old Conner ranks 9th in rushing and his bruising running style wears down opposing defenses. Arizona selected Harrison Jr. — the son of NFL Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison Sr. — with the fourth pick in the 2024 NFL draft.  

All-Pro safety Budda Baker (79 tackles, 4 tackles for loss in 8 games), linebacker Dennis Gardeck (22 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble in 7 games) and defensive tackle Dante Stills (22 takcles, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble in 7 games) are the standouts on a Cardinals defense that is prone to giving up a lot of points and yards but has also made big plays which has allowed them to win close games.

THE PICK: CARDINALS (-1.5)

Kyler Murray is back to playing at an elite level this year after injuries derailed the last 2 seasons for him and the team. I think the Bears will still be shell-shocked over last week’s stunning loss at Washington. Lay the small number…Cardinals 24, Bears 20

NFL Picks 11/3 – Chicago Bears @ Arizona Cardinals