The Chicago Bears Week 13 matchup sees the team return to Soldier Field for a clash with the Arizona Cardinals. A lot of eyes will be on the quarterback position in this matchup with Justin Fields considered doubtful and Kyler Murray being deemed a game-time decision. Even if Bears-Cardinals does become a battle of the backups, there's plenty of interesting talking points surrounding the game, and here are a few predictions to go with them.
The Bears enter Week 13 coming off a 16-14 win over the Detroit Lions. It wasn't a very inspiring performance, but they'll look to try and make it two in a row against the Cardinals. The Bears are 4-7 on the year, and can effectively kiss their (already slim) playoff hopes goodbye with a loss on Sunday. Andy Dalton will be back under center for the Bears as he looks to win his third game of the year in four starts. Dalton topped 300 yards in Chicago's Thanksgiving Day win over the Lions, and he'll hope to follow that up with another solid outing.
The Cardinals are 9-2 on the year and have gone 2-1 since Murray went down with an injury. Obviously, the Bears will have a significantly better chance against the superior opponent if the star quarterback can't suit up, but the Cards have shown they can win without the former No. 1 overall pick. Earning a win, even at home, is a longshot for the Bears in this one, but head coach Matt Nagy's job could very well depend on a successful outcome on Sunday.
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Chicago Bears Week 13 Predictions
4. Andy Dalton gets shut down
Dalton is by no means a world-beater, and with the myriad of injuries plaguing Chicago's offense heading into Week 13, he may find himself getting outmatched by the top-tier Cardinals' secondary. Arizona surrenders on average 204.0 passing yards per game, good for fourth in the league. Additionally, the Cardinals' defense is recording 1.7 takeaways per game, the seventh-best in the league. Those are figures that don't bode well for Dalton, who has struggled with accuracy in his past two outings. Dalton completed just 47.8% of his pass attempts when called upon in relief of Fields in Week 11, and converted on just 61.5% of his throws on Thanksgiving. We're predicting a rough outing for Dalton in Week 13, as the Red Rifle will struggle en route to a multi-interception game.
3. Chicago's defense stifles Colt McCoy
It's still unclear if Kyler Murray is going to be on the field on Sunday, but if the Oklahoma product is ruled out for the contest, Colt McCoy is expected to be called upon to start once more. McCoy has led the Cardinals to a 2-1 record, but he will be up against a Bears defense that has surrendered the third-fewest yards in the NFL over their past three games. If the Bears want any chance to compete with Kliff Kingsbury's Cardinals, the defense will need to have a lockdown performance. Even if Murray does end up taking the field, shutting him down offensively must be a priority for the Bears. The Bears have a top-five passing defense over the past three weeks, and they have the potential to continue playing at that level even against a potent Cardinals offense.
2. Darnell Mooney gets 8+ receptions, 100+ yards
The Chicago Bears are dealing with a plethora of injuries to their wide receivers group, and they could be without Allen Robinson on Sunday. Additionally, deep threat Marquise Goodwin is out for the contest, leaving the team without many options at the position. Well, with fewer weapons to throw to, Dalton may end up force-feeding Darnell Mooney in this one, as he represents the most reliable pass-catching option the team has. Mooney was targeted 16 (!!) times against the Ravens in Week 11, and eight times against the Lions last week, so there's reason to believe Dalton sees him as his go-to guy. Expect him to get a boatload of targets in Week 13, and haul in at least eight catches for 100+ yards.
1. David Montgomery racks up 150 scrimmage yards
While the Cardinals boast a strong defense overall, the group's main weakness is defending against the run. That gives David Montgomery plenty of opportunity to have a big game this weekend, especially with so many other offensive weapons on the sideline. If Chicago can avoid falling behind early in this one, you can expect the team to feed Montgomery whenever possible. Montgomery hasn't scored since returning from IR, but he'll be the focal point of Chicago's offense on Sunday and that should provide plenty of opportunities for him to make big plays. While he's never been a huge factor in the passing game, perhaps this week will be a chance for Monty to get more involved. We're expecting Montgomery to rack up some big yardage against a Cardinals team that will have the secondary on lock.
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