By Doug Haller, Adam Jahns, Kevin Fishbain and Chris Licata
The Arizona Cardinals secured a third consecutive win on Sunday, knocking off the Chicago Bears 29-9 to push their record above .500 for the first time this season.
Arizona played a clean, efficient game led by James Conner’s season-high 107 rushing yards, which accounted for half of the team’s 213 yards on the ground.
The Cardinals (5-4) sacked Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams six times and shut out the Bears’ offense in the second half. Chicago’s overall sloppiness was foreshadowed by a rare rainstorm in the desert, which forced the Cardinals to (slowly) close the retractable roof over State Farm Stadium in the second quarter.
Now at 5-4, the Cardinals host Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets in Week 10 while the Bears (4-4) will return home to take on the reeling New England Patriots.
Cardinals fly high without ‘Murray Magic’
Had you told Arizona fans on Oct. 13, after the Cardinals had gotten embarrassed at Green Bay falling to 2-4, that their team would get on a roll, even the most passionate fans would have struggled to believe. That’s what makes this so remarkable. The Cardinals have won three in a row for the first time since 2021. They sit atop the NFC West. Once maddeningly inconsistent, the Cardinals have discovered a confidence that, given their injuries and lack of star power, didn’t seem possible. Their 5-4 record says otherwise.
In Sunday’s win, the Cardinals outplayed the Bears. They controlled the line of scrimmage. They harassed Williams. They made fewer mistakes. No longer do the Cardinals need Kyler Murray to work magic to pull out a win. They don’t even need rookie receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr. to play beyond his years (although it would help). They are more than content to line up behind a beaten-up offensive line and give the ball to Conner. Or to Emari Demercado, who pulled off a back-breaking 53-yard touchdown run just before halftime.
53-(CASUAL) YARD TOUCHDOWN@Money_E3 pic.twitter.com/Gzm3ImjxPI
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) November 3, 2024
It’s a development that was hard to predict from a team determined to never look beyond the present. That’s not easy to do as players, it’s impossible for fans. But the Cardinals have turned into NFC contenders. Few outside the locker room saw it coming. — Doug Haller, Arizona senior writer
Bears don’t feel like a team on the rise
The Bears are 4-4. But it doesn’t feel like it. They don’t feel like a competitive team on the rise with a young, promising quarterback in Williams. They feel like a team teetering on changes with nine more games left to play this season.
The Bears were able to beat up on the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars. But they weren’t able to hang with the middle-of-the-pack Cardinals, one week after losing on a Hail Mary to the Washington Commanders. The Bears defense missed defensive end Montez Sweat, but the breakdowns were widespread. Arizona rushed for 213 yards and three touchdowns on 34 carries. Doubts and questions will follow the Bears the rest of their season. — Adam Jahns, Bears senior writer
Chicago’s messy offense returns
One thing going for the Bears entering their matchup with the Cardinals was that their offense, led by Williams, was going to have opportunities to move the football. Arizona ranked as one of the worst teams in several categories, yet the Bears never found the end zone.
Williams finished with a passer rating of 68.8 when Arizona’s opposing QBs had a 101.4 rating in the previous eight games. An offensive line without left tackle Braxton Jones had trouble with Arizona’s blitzes, and Williams held onto the ball too long on several occasions. The Cardinals had a season-high six sacks on the afternoon.
Tight end Cole Kmet didn’t get targeted once. Outside Rome Odunze’s five catches for 104 yards, the offense was a mess. — Kevin Fishbain, Bears senior writer
Required reading
- NFL Week 9, trade deadline live updates: Latest news, rumors, grades and coverage maps
- Bears trade deadline questions: Should they deal one of their second-round picks?
- Bears try to move on from Hail Mary gaffe, questions about coaching, leadership
- How Cardinals use old-school approach to spark Kyler Murray-led offense
(Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
