The Chicago Bears defeat the Arizona Cardinals 27–16 after building a sizable early lead.
Playing the Arizona Cardinals was all the Chicago Bears needed to do to celebrate Christmas. On Sunday at Soldier Field, the Bears’ offensive output surpassed that of their miserable collapse against the Cleveland Browns a week prior. The Bears defeated the 3-12 Cardinals 27-16 after jumping out to a 21-point first-half lead behind a dominant game on the ground.
The Bears took advantage of the Cardinals’ 31st-ranked run defense coming into the game, rushing for 250 yards. They led 21–7 at the half after gaining 117 rushing yards and two ground touchdowns in the first half. The Bears (6-9) overcame their Week 15 loss to the Browns, 20-17, thanks to a season-high 112 rushing yards and a touchdown from running back Khalil Herbert and 97 yards and a touchdown from quarterback Justin Fields. Despite Fields’ lone game-ending turnover, the Cardinals continued to pose a threat to the Bears in the fourth quarter.
Fields had to run 39 yards early in the fourth quarter to reach the 14-yard line of the Cardinals. However, he intercepted a pass meant for Herbert in the end zone on the following play, and safety Jalen Thompson reached over his head to catch it. After the two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, the Cardinals took advantage with a 38-yard touchdown pass from Kyler Murray to Greg Dortch, cutting the Bears’ lead to 24-16. The Bears’ subsequent drive ended in a three-and-out, which gave the Cardinals a chance to tie the game. However, the defense came up with a stop when Murray’s pass went incomplete and Dortch stumbled while attempting to make a catch on fourth-and-6.
With one minute and two seconds remaining, Bears kicker Cairo Santos, who inked a four-year, $16 million contract extension on Saturday, sealed the victory with a 29-yard field goal. Fields connected with tight end Marcedes Lewis for a 1-yard touchdown pass after completing 15 of 27 passes for 170 yards. Cole Kmet, a tight end, had four catches for 107 yards prior to suffering a knee injury that kept him out of the second half. Murray gained 230 yards and two touchdowns on 24 of his 38 completions. No takeaways were recorded by the Bears defense.
To begin the second half, both teams exchanged field goals. On the opening drive of the second half, Cardinals kicker Matt Prater struck a 55-yard field goal to trim the Bears’ lead to 21-10. By the end of the third quarter, Santos had extended the Bears’ lead to 24-10 with a 49-yard field goal. Halftime: The Bears lead 21–7 thanks to a strong running game. On Sunday at Soldier Field, the Chicago Bears outran the Arizona Cardinals 21–7 at the half after rushing for 117 yards in the first half. Quarterback Justin Fields added 32 yards and a touchdown on the ground in addition to running back Khalil Herbert’s 62 yards and touchdown.
With no mistakes in the first half, Fields also completed 10 of 17 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown. Bears tight end Cole Kmet hauled in 107 yards on four receptions. With 6 minutes, 22 seconds remaining in the first quarter, Fields scored a touchdown run of 3 yards to give the Bears a 7-0 lead. The drive was started by Fields’ 53-yard pass to Kmet on the opening play. Additionally, Kmet was called for defensive holding against Starling Thomas, negating a sack by the Cardinals and setting up the Bears for a first-and-goal at the 3-yard line. The following play, Fields scored.
Early in the second quarter, Herbert ran for an 11-yard touchdown, giving the Bears a 14-0 lead. Two plays prior to Herbert’s touchdown, Fields ran for 24 yards on a planned run, and Herbert also had a 15-yard carry during the drive. The Bears took over at their 46-yard line after the Bears defense forced the Cardinals to throw a three-and-out on their subsequent drive. With eight plays remaining in the second quarter and 7:12 remaining, Fields found Marcedes Lewis for a 1-yard touchdown pass, giving the Bears a 21-0 lead. Fields hit Kmet for a 29-yard pass during the drive. In response, the Cardinals put together a 75-yard touchdown drive, which was sealed off by a 16-yard touchdown pass from Kyler Murray to James Conner, who was by himself down the left sideline
Murray completed 10 of 17 passes with no interceptions for 85 yards. Conner gained 44 yards on seven carries. On the Cardinals’ last drive of the half, Bears safety Jaquan Brisker left the game due to an unspecified injury. The Bears also declared that Kmet’s knee injury made his return uncertain. Injured DJ Moore on the Bears’ opening play After being hurt by Justin Fields’ first pass of the game, Bears wide receiver DJ Moore made a comeback later in the first quarter. After being unconscious for a few minutes and receiving medical attention from trainers, he left the field and made his way to the injury tent.
