Cardinals vs Bears Odds, Picks, and Predictions Week 16: Back Kyler & Co. in the Windy City

Two quarterbacks with plenty to prove are set to face off on Sunday as the Arizona Cardinals take on the Chicago Bears in Week 16 odds.

While both teams will likely miss the playoffs, there's still plenty of intrigue in this contest with Arizona's Kyler Murray and Chicago's Justin Fields trying to convince their respective franchises that they are the long-term answer at QB.

NFL odds have the Bears penned as 4-point home favorites, with the Over/Under at 43.5. Here are my best free NFL picks for Cardinals vs. Bears on December 24.

Cardinals vs Bears odds

Cardinals vs Bears predictions

While the Chicago Bears have been more competitive over the last couple of months, this line seems like an overcorrection. I'm not sure they're a field goal better than the Arizona Cardinals on a neutral field.

The Bears have been playing better on defense, especially against the run, but they still have a non-existent pass rush (28th in pressure rate and 30th in sacks) and inconsistent coverage from their cornerbacks. On offense, they have major issues up front with their blocking and they have no quality weapons besides D.J. Moore. Meanwhile, Justin Fields has shown flashes of brilliance at times but remains wildly inconsistent as a passer. 

The Cardinals are weak in a lot of the same areas. Their pass rush and pass coverage are also brutal and their offensive line is just as bad. That said, their offense has shown signs of life with a healthy Kyler Murray and James Conner in the backfield.

The jury is still out on whether Arizona should stick with Murray instead of drafting his replacement next spring, but he's a major upgrade over what they had at QB to begin the year. 

Even in last week's loss to the first-place 49ers, the Cardinals rolled up 436 yards on offense and scored 29 points. With Murray going 15-5-1 ATS as a road underdog in his career, grab Arizona with the points here. 

My best bet: Cardinals +4.5 (-115 at BetVictor)
Picks made at time of writing may not reflect live odds.

Cardinals vs Bears same-game parlay

Cardinals +4.5

Under 43.5 points

James Conner Over 13.5 rush attempts

+375 at bet365

Neither of these attacks have been able to consistently pass the ball downfield which limits their ability to put up points. The Bears are 25th in the league in dropback EPA while the Cardinals are 24th in dropback EPA since Week 10 when Murray returned to the lineup.

Factor in a Bears defense that has been the third-best in the league in EPA/Play since Week 5 and what is projected to be a windy Christmas Eve in Chicago and the Under looks like the play. Especially with six of the Bears' last seven games going below the total.

James Conner is coming off an 86-yard performance against the 49ers and in the previous week, he carried the rock 25 times for 105 yards against the Steelers.

It won't be easy for Conner to find running room against a stingy Bears rush defense, but I still expect him to get a heavy workload on Sunday. He has logged at least 14 carries in four of his last five games and the one game where he went below this number was in a lopsided loss to the Rams where Arizona had to abandon the run game.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Cardinals vs Bears spread and Over/Under analysis

The lookahead line for this game had the Bears at -3.5, but when the official spread dropped on Monday, the Bears were listed at -4.5. Early money came in on the Cardinals, with most books shifting to Bears -4 as of Wednesday morning. The total opened at 43.5 and moved up to 44.5 before ultimately ticking back down to 43.5. 

The Cardinals were the worst team in the league at the start of the year but they've been better since Murray came off the IL in November, going 2-3 straight up and 3-2 against the spread since he returned to the lineup. 

The Bears also looked brutal at the start of the season and they've also made major strides, especially on defense where they rank third in the league in EPA since Week 5. They are coming off a 20-17 loss to the Browns but are still 3-3 SU and 4-1-1 ATS in their last six games. 

Cardinals vs Bears betting trend to know

Kyler Murray is 15-5-1 ATS in his career as an underdog on the road. Find more NFL betting trends for Cardinals vs. Bears.

Cardinals vs Bears game info

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