The Arizona Cardinals exit their off week with the best record in the National Football League and a shot at reaching their 10th win of the season on Sunday.
The 9-2 Cardinals head to the Windy City to face off against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field, and Arizona sports betting apps consider the visitors from the Valley as sizable favorites.
The Cardinals and Bears kick off at 11 a.m. Arizona time Sunday on FOX.
Cardinals Sizable Favorites to Win on Sunday
Two Arizona sportsbooks — BetMGM Arizona and FanDuel Sportsbook Arizona — have the Cardinals as a 7.5-point favorite over the Bears as of Tuesday morning.
A third operator, DraftKings Sportsbook Arizona, lists Arizona at -8 on the spread.
For those looking to make a moneyline wager, BetMGM Arizona has the Cardinals at -350, while FanDuel Sportsbook Arizona has the visitors at -360 and DraftKings Sportsbook Arizona has them at -380. Chicago is +280 with DraftKings and +290 with the other two.
As for over/under, both BetMGM Arizona and FanDuel Sportsbook Arizona have the number listed at 45.5 total points (-110), while DraftKings Sportsbook Arizona has it at 44.5 (-110).
Kyler Murray Set to Return for Cardinals
A major storyline to impact Arizona NFL betting over the last four weeks has been the health of third-year Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
The former Heisman Trophy winner has battled an ankle injury suffered against the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 28, missing each of Arizona’s past three games.
The Cardinals are 2-1 during that period, with wins over the San Francisco 49ers (31-17) and Seattle Seahawks (23-13), sandwiched between a 34-10 shellacking at the hands of Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers.
Murray still is the Cardinals’ team leader in passing yards (2,276) and passing touchdowns (17). Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury says he’s “hopeful” Murray will be ready to go Sunday.
One surprising twist to the season has been the play of Murray’s backup, Colt McCoy, who threw for 328 yards and two scores in the team’s 10-point win over the Seahawks in Week 11.
McCoy has completed 75.6% of his passes for 684 yards and three touchdowns this season.
One thing to keep an eye on Sunday will be how much of the load Kingsbury saddles onto Murray, or if the Cardinals opt to run the ball more against a porous Bears front seven.
If they opt for the latter, then former Steelers RB James Conner could be in for a big day, after running for 62 yards and a touchdown against Seattle before the off week.
Conner leads all Cardinals in rushing yards (555) and rushing touchdowns (12) this season and should feature prominently into Arizona’s game plan against Chicago.
Cardinals Look to Improve Mark Against the Spread
Against Chicago, Arizona will try to clear the spread for the ninth time in 12 games.
The team’s lone losses ATS came against Minnesota in Week 2 (-4), Green Bay in Week 8 (-6.5) and Carolina in Week 10 (-7).
Of those games, two resulted in outright losses for Arizona — 24-21 vs. the Packers and 34-10 against the Panthers.
Two weeks ago, Arizona beat Seattle 23-13 as a 4.5-point favorite. The largest spread Arizona has covered this year was -20 against Houston in Week 7, with the Cardinals ultimately winning 31-5.
