What History tells us between the Bears-Cardinals |
With just three weeks remaining in the Bears 2023 season, it will be intersting to see how this team finishes. Sitting at 5-9 isn't where this team wanted to be, but with two winnable games and a chance to win out, we will see what this team is made of, as they have played much better down the stretch.
Last week wasn't the result the Bears were hoping for as they let another late-game lead get away in a loss to the Cleveland Browns. That makes three losses this season of 10 points or more, which is the worst in the NFL. Unlike many teams with division-heavy games to close out the season, the Bears only have one division game left mixed with two interdivisional matchups. The first of those games comes against the Arizona Cardinals and these teams have a rich history that goes back more than 100 years. Overall, the Bears have had a ton of success against the Cardinals and hold a 57-29-6 advantage in the series. However, it isn't the games that matter, as these two will forever be interlinked as both of them played in Chicago at one point before the Cardinals ventured off on their own. During those days, the Bears were known as the Decatur Staleys while the Cardinals were the Chicago Cardinals, and they played each other twice, with each team winning one game before the Bears joined the Cardinals in the great city of Chicago. They shared the same city until the 1960s when the Cardinals took their talents to St. Louis to become, you guessed it, the St. Louis Cardinals. Arizona would spend the next 30 years in St. Louis before moving to Phoenix, where they became the Phoenix Cardinals and now the Arizona Cardinals. Well, enough of the history lesson for one day in terms of the teams, and it is time to focus on the actual games these teams have played. There isn't enough time to go through every meeting between the two, so instead, we will focus on the past 23 years starting in 2000.
From 2001-2006, the Bears owned the Cardinals, taking all three of those matchups before losing in 2009 with a score of 41-21. Those were the days that Kurt Warner and Carson Palmer were the QBs, as you could make the case that those were the glory days for this Arizona franchise. Following that loss in 2009, these teams met four more times, with each team coming out on top twice.
The Cardinals won their meetings in 2015 and 2021, with the Bears taking care of business in 2012 and 2018. If that trend continues, the Bears should win again this week as the game will be in Soldier Field, and weather could be a factor. Don't tell that to the Cardinals, however, as they have played very well in Solider Field throughout their history.
Not only did Arizona win their last meeting here in 2021, 33-22, but they have won the last three meetings in Chicago, including a 48-23 win in 2015 and 41-21 in 2009. In other words, they have gone 20 years since their last loss in Chicago, with the Bears taking care of business 28-3 in 2003.
The same story can't be said in Arizona, where the Bears have not only won three meetings but five of the six meetings in the Valley of the Sun. That isn't something you would expect from any NFL franchise, but this goes against the grain regarding the common NFL trend.
Considering the Cardinals were founded in Chicago, Chicago is their home away from home. Chicago hopes that changes this weekend, as they are due for a big win at home against a team that has owned them at home. When you look at the direction both of these teams are going and their current situation at the QB position with Justin Fields and Kyler Murray, it will be interesting to see if both of these men are under center for their teams when camp breaks in 2024.
