Chicago Bears quarterback Andy Dalton will start his second straight game in place of Justin Fields on Sunday as the Bears host the Arizona Cardinals at Soldier Field.
As Fields recovers from broken ribs, Dalton will try to push the Bears to a second straight win against a much more difficult opponent than the winless Detroit Lions team he beat last week.
As kickoff approaches, here’s our snapshot look at the game.
Chicago Bears (4-7) vs. Arizona Cardinals (9-2)
Kickoff: Noon Sunday at Soldier Field.
TV and radio: FOX-32, WBBM-AM 780, WCFS-FM 105.9, WRTO-AM 1200 (Spanish).
The line: Cardinals by 71/2. Over/under: 431/2.
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1. Player in the spotlight
The Cardinals declared quarterback Kyler Murray questionable to play Sunday in what would be his first game since Oct. 28 because of a left ankle injury. Coach Kliff Kingsbury called Murray a game-day decision — one that could drastically affect what the Bears are facing.
In eight games before his injury, Murray threw for 2,276 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions for a 110.4 passer rating and rushed for 147 yards. Colt McCoy, who started the last three games and went 2-1 in place of Murray, has thrown for 684 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
“Obviously (Murray) presents as a really good leader on tape,” Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai said. “There’s not many mistakes happening. He’s got command of the offense. He can obviously beat you with his arm strength and with his feet.
“He’s becoming, in my opinion, a much more patient passer in the pocket where he’ll scramble to throw, and it’s dangerous because as a coverage guy, you’re kind of nervous. Is the guy going to throw it or is he going to run it? Because he’s a fast guy and he can still make you miss in the open field, and you see that on tape.”
Desai said the Cardinals are “distributing the ball over the place,” with five players with 30 catches or more, including Christian Kirk, who leads the team with 49 receptions for 628 yards. DeAndre Hopkins, who has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury, will also be a game-day decision.
“(Hopkins) is still the No. 1 target, as he should be,” Desai said. “He’s earned that respect around the league with his play, but they’re getting all those guys the ball in a variety of different ways. They’re getting them the ball in space, they’re getting them the ball over the top, they’re getting them the ball underneath, a lot of different ways. … Kyler’s doing a good job playing that point guard as the quarterback and getting the ball out and getting it to different people, extending plays when he needs to extend them and then taking his shots downfield when he needs to take the shots downfield.”
2. Pressing question
What can the Andy Dalton-led Bears do against one of the NFL’s top pass defenses?
Dalton and the Bears offense chewed up the final 8 minutes, 30 seconds of the Thanksgiving game against the Lions to set up Cairo Santos’ winning 28-yard field goal, and Dalton finished with 317 passing yards and a touchdown.
But that was against the Lions.
The Cardinals allow just 204 passing yards per game and 6.1 passing yards per play, both ranked fourth in the NFL. They have 29 sacks this season, led by Markus Golden’s 10 and Chandler Jones’ eight.
“They have some violent pass rushers that can do a lot of things,” Bears right tackle Larry Borom said. “Both Golden and Jones, they can bend. Their speed, power. A magnificent amount of weapons they have.”
Dalton said he needs to be aware of playing on time against the Cardinals’ pass rushers.
“Because if you think you can hold on to it for a little bit longer, that’s when bad things can happen,” Dalton said. “So they do have a good rush, and for me, it starts with playing on time and making sure I’m decisive with what I’m doing.”
The Bears might be able to lean on David Montgomery, who rushed for 46 yards against the Lions, against a Cardinals rush defense that hasn’t been quite as good.
3. Keep an eye on …
Bears wide receiver Marquise Goodwin has been declared out because of foot and ribs injuries, and top receiver Allen Robinson is doubtful to play because of a hamstring injury. That leaves the Bears with only one wide receiver on the field with more than 10 catches this season.
Darnell Mooney has put together back-to-back games with more than 120 yards receiving to bring his total to 46 catches for 694 yards and three touchdowns. But beyond him, the only Bears receivers with catches this season are Damiere Byrd (nine catches, 74 yards) and Jakeem Grant (three catches, 31 yards).
That presents obvious challenges for the coaching staff as it tries to prepare for the stout Cardinals defense.
“The question is, OK, if (a player) can’t go, does the guy who practiced it Wednesday take over and you still call it? Or do you just bag it because it’s really just built for that one guy?” Bears offensive coordinator Bill Lazor said. “There’s a little bit of both. You try to build as much as you can that the replacement can do it. But to me, that’s a challenge of when guys are questionable. Everybody wants to know, is he going to play, is he practicing, how much is he practicing? As coaches, we want to know that, too, because we’ve got tonight and then we’ve got to plan the next day.”
Playing a big role Sunday could be the Bears tight ends, including Cole Kmet, who practiced in full Friday after recovering from a groin injury. Nagy also pointed to Byrd, who is in his sixth NFL season, as a player who has been “under the radar” this season.
“He hasn’t had a lot of catches, but he helps us out so much in so many different ways,” Nagy said. “So he’s going to have a much bigger role. And then some of these other guys, too, as well, they understand the importance.”
4. Odds and ends
It would certainly help the Bears’ cause to get ahead early against the Cardinals, in part to appease fans who have voiced their discontent over this 4-7 season with booing and “Fire Nagy!” chants.
Bears safety Eddie Jackson said earlier this week that such chants aren’t helping matters. When asked his thoughts on it Friday, Nagy said he can’t let it be a distraction.
“I have the ultimate respect for our fans and our city, just everybody,” Nagy said. “I understand the game. I understand what everyone wants with the wins. … But I would not be doing my job (if) that would be a distraction. I’m here to lead these guys to a win and to help out, and that’s all I can do. I understand the competitiveness and the fight and the love and the passion that this city has. I understand it. At the same time, that is a distraction for us. We want to go out there and do everything we can to win for everybody.”
5. Injury report
With Fields unlikely to play because of a ribs injury — Nagy declared Dalton the starter and Nick Foles the backup — the status of inside linebacker Roquan Smith is the thing to watch here.
Smith missed practices Wednesday and Thursday with a hamstring injury but returned in a limited capacity Friday. Nagy called him a game-time decision.
“He’s getting close is what I would say,” Nagy said. “We’ll get him out there and see what happens and where he’s at. He’s a guy that he’s going do everything he possibly can to be able to get ready to play.”
Fields is listed as doubtful, as is Robinson. The Bears already declared out Goodwin, defensive linemen Akiem Hicks (ankle) and Mario Edwards Jr. (ribs) and running back Damien Williams (calf).
The Bears on Saturday activated rookie offensive tackle Teven Jenkins, who missed the first 11 games after undergoing back surgery. Nagy has indicated Jenkins will back up Jason Peters and Larry Borom.
The Bears also flexed outside linebacker Bruce Irvin and receiver Rodney Adams from the practice squad to the active roster.
For the Cardinals, safety James Wiggins (knee) was ruled out, while cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. (foot) and left guard Justin Pugh (calf) are questionable along with Murray and Hopkins.
Predictions
Brad Biggs (9-2)
The Bears were able to change the vibe at Halas Hall by ending their five-game losing streak with a victory at Detroit. To maintain hope that there is something to play for, they cannot fall further behind the five teams one game ahead of them in the win column in the NFC, making this game critical. The Cardinals enter with the best record in the NFL and they’re 6-0 on the road where they’ve been blowing opponents out, averaging 32.8 points per game. The Bears have been struggling to score more than half that much. With Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins expected back after missing three games with injuries, the Bears are in a tough spot.
Cardinals 28, Bears 17
Colleen Kane (10-1)
This looks like a tough matchup for the Bears on both sides of the ball, especially if Murray plays for the first time since Week 8. Even if Murray is a little rusty, the Bears will have their hands full with a quarterback who boasts a 110.4 passer rating. The Bears might find some success on offense behind running back David Montgomery on what is forecast to be a cold, rainy day. But with a depleted wide receivers corps, the Bears and Andy Dalton could find it tough to get much going in the passing game. In their last couple of losses, the Bears kept it close, but there’s potential for an ugly one here.
Cardinals 27, Bears 16
Dan Wiederer (10-1)
In a battle between one of the NFL’s top-five scoring offenses and one of the league’s bottom five, the odds are stacked against Matt Nagy’s team. The Bears will have to play a near-perfect game Sunday to pull off an upset. But with ongoing injury issues, the Bears are way too short-handed on both sides of the ball to either limit the Cardinals explosive offense or keep up with it.
Cardinals 27, Bears 13
