NFL Preview - Arizona (4-3) at Chicago (4-3)

By Scott Garbarini, Sports Network - The Sports Network

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The Arizona Cardinals have yet to lose on the road this season, while the Chicago Bears have won every one of their home games thus far in 2009. Only one of those undefeated records will remain intact, however, when the two playoff hopefuls get together this Sunday at Soldier Field.

While year one of the Jay Cutler tenure in Chicago has so far produced overall mixed results, both the quarterback and his team have had nothing but success at their historic home venue this season. The Bears have won all three of their games in the Windy City, and only one of Cutler's 11 interceptions in a Chicago uniform has come at Soldier Field.

Chicago's most recent home triumph came at the expense of the hapless Cleveland Browns last Sunday, with a strong defensive effort keying a 30-6 rout. The Bears limited an inept Browns offense to 191 total yards and forced five turnovers, including a 21-yard interception return touchdown by cornerback Charles Tillman late in the fourth quarter that accounted for the final score.

The easy victory helped take some of the sting out of a humbling 45-10 loss in Cincinnati the week prior, in which Bears castoff Cedric Benson scorched his old club for a personal-best 189 rushing yards.

Chicago will try to duplicate last weekend's opportunistic ways against a puzzling Arizona squad that was extraordinarily careless in protecting the football in its last outing, a 34-21 setback at home to previously-struggling Carolina. Quarterback Kurt Warner tied a dubious career-high by throwing five interceptions and also lost a fumble that led to a Panthers' score.

Carolina also had its way at the line of scrimmage, racking up an eye-opening 270 yards on the ground on a Cardinals defense that entered the contest ranked first against the run.

The loss was the third in four home games this season for Arizona (4-3), which enters Sunday's play with a one-game lead on San Francisco for first place in the NFC West. The defending conference champions haven't brought those troubles along on the road, though, having gone 3-0 in enemy stadiums in 2009 and outscoring the opposition by an 82-37 margin in those matchups.

In addition, the Cardinals, who had a three-game winning streak halted by Carolina, have not dropped consecutive games at any point this year.

Chicago also brings a 4-3 mark into Sunday's tilt, good for a second-place tie with Green Bay in the NFC North.

SERIES HISTORY

The Bears hold a 55-26-6 edge in their all-time series with the Cardinals, a rivalry that dates back to the 1920 season when the then-Chicago Cardinals defeated the then-Decatur Staleys, 7-6, at Normal Park. The teams are the only two original NFL franchises that remain today.

The Bears have won the last three meetings between the two, including a 24-23 primetime win on the road when the clubs last met, in 2006. That win, in which Chicago trailed 23-3 in the third quarter and committed a total of six turnovers, is best-remembered for an infamous tirade by then-Cardinals coach Dennis Green in the postgame press conference.

The Cardinals' last win in the series came in 1998, and they are 0-2 in Chicago since the then-St. Louis Cardinals won there in 1982.

Chicago head coach Lovie Smith is 1-0 against the Cardinals as a head coach, while Arizona's Ken Whisenhunt will be meeting both Smith and Chicago for the first time as a head man.

WHEN THE CARDINALS HAVE THE BALL

Whisenhunt will likely be keeping his fingers crossed for unseasonably mild weather in the Windy City this weekend, considering his Cardinals team is the most pass-oriented in the NFL. Arizona will also need a bounce-back performance out of Warner (1914 passing yards, 11 TD, 11 INT), who's beginning to show the effects of advancing age, following last Sunday's disaster. The 38-year-old's average of 6.8 yards per attempt is his lowest since 2003, although he's played his best games on the road this season. The Cardinals aren't short on receivers, boasting a pair of game-changing talents in Larry Fitzgerald (47 receptions, 509 yards, 5 TD) and Anquan Boldin (35 receptions, 1 TD), an excellent No. 3 wideout in Steve Breaston (30 receptions, 400 yards, 1 TD), and one of the league's best pass-catching running backs in second-year pro Tim Hightower (206 rushing yards, 5 TD, 39 receptions). Boldin's effectiveness over the past few weeks has been slowed by a lingering ankle sprain, however, and the team is considering holding the gutsy three-time Pro Bowl honoree out on Sunday in order to get him closer to full strength. His absence may still not reduce Warner's workload, as Arizona ranks last in the NFL in both rushing offense (64.9 ypg) and rush attempts (19.7 per game). Rookie running back Beanie Wells (238 rushing yards, 1 TD, 4 receptions) is starting to get more involved in the game plan, however, and put up career- bests of 68 yards and 14 carries in the Cards' Week 7 victory over the New York Giants.