KEY MATCHUP
Behind former Steelers running back James Conner, the Cardinals’ running game has been their main — perhaps only — avenue toward victory this season. The Cardinals are 25th in the NFL in points, 24th in total offense and 29th in passing, but are seventh in rushing, averaging 131.8 yards per game.
While quarterback Kyler Murray has been good-but-not-great in his return from a torn ACL (a 78.4 passer rating, 215 yards per game, four touchdowns, four interceptions), the running game has been consistent, with 96 or more yards in 12 of 14 games. Connor has 143 carries for 717 yards (5.0 average) and five touchdowns this season.
In their three victories, the Cardinals have averaged 164.7 rushing yards with six total touchdowns against the Cowboys (30-222, two touchdowns), Falcons (26-122, two touchdowns) and Steelers (38-150, two touchdowns.).
The Bears counter with the best rushing defense in the NFL — a league-leading 79.8 yards allowed per game. The Bears have yet to allow a 100-yard rusher this season. Lions running back David Montgomery’s 76 yards on 12 carries in a 31-26 victory on Nov. 19 at Ford Field is the most against the Bears this season.
TRENDING
The Bears’ defense is on a four-game takeaway binge that not even Vic Fangio’s 2018 could match.
With 13 takeaways (12 interceptions, one fumble recovery) against the Lions, Vikings, Lions and Browns, the Bears have jumped from a tie for 27th in the NFL in takeaways to a tie for seventh.
(The best four-game takeaway stretch in 2018, when the Bears’ led the NFL in scoring defense and were in the top 10 in every major category, was 12.)
All five starters in the secondary have at least one interception in the last four games — cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson (2), Tyrique Stevenson and Kyler Gordon and safeties Jaquan Brisker and Eddie Jackson. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds has three, and four for the season — as many in 12 games in Matt Eberflus’ defense as he had in five seasons with the Bills.
PLAYER TO WATCH
A week after Justin Fields completed a season-low 47.5% of his passes (19 of 41, including two Hail Mary interceptions, a drop by tight end Robert Tonyan and several incompletions because of missed blocks and poor alignment, assignment and technique …), Fields faces a Cardinals defense that is 31st in opponent’s passer rating (103.8).
In fact, opposing quarterbacks are completing 69.9% of their passes against the Cardinals, with only the Falcons’ Taylor Heinicke (53.3%) below 61%. So Fields should have an opportunity to bounce back with an efficient game, if not a prolific one.
X-FACTOR
After the loss to the Browns crushed their playoff hopes (now 1% according to the New York Times playoff calculator), the Bears are all but playing for pride and a head start into 2024. This team prides itself on resilience and figures to hold up, especially against a beatable team like the Cardinals.
