BREAKING: The Bears will be without one of their best defensive players Sunday. The team listed DL Montez Sweat (shin injury) on its inactives list, released Sunday afternoon. Read more below:
For the Bears, there are two simple questions for Sunday’s 3:05 p.m. game against the Cardinals at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
First, can they bounce back after last week’s brutal road loss to the Commanders on a Hail Mary? It was one of the most stunning defeats in franchise history, considering the manner in which it unfolded.
Second, can they win a road game under head coach Matt Eberflus? After last week’s game stunningly slipped through their grasp, the Bears dropped to 3-17 in road games during Eberflus’ two-plus seasons, including 0-3 so far in 2024.
As he does every Sunday, WGN Radio’s Kevin Powell joined Sean Lewis and Jewell Hillery on the WGN Weekend Morning News to discuss the Bears. Powell says it’s important for the Bears to start fast and play with a sense of urgency Sunday.
Watch the video attached to this story to see more from Powell.
Here’s what to know going into Sunday’s game:
Chicago (4-3) at Arizona (4-4)
Inactives
In addition to Sweat, the inactives for the Bears on Sunday are DB Kyler Gordon, RB Khalil Herbert, OL Kiran Amegadjie, DB Jaquan Brisker, OL Braxton Jones and DL Byron Cowart.
The Cardinals also released their inactives list. It includes CB Sean Murphy-Bunting, DL Darius Robinson, OL Christian Jones, TE Travis Vokolek, WR Xavier Weaver and DL Naquan Jones.
Friday injury report
On their Friday injury report, the Bears listed three players as out for Sunday’s game: OL Kiran Amegadjie (calf), DB Jaquan Brisker (concussion) and OL Braxton Jones (knee).
Brisker has been out since suffering a concussion on Oct. 13 against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London and has still not cleared concussion protocol.
DB Kyler Gordon has also been out with a hamstring injury since that game He returned to practice in a limited capacity on Friday and is questionable for Sunday’s game.
OL Teven Jenkins (knee) is also questionable.
On their Friday injury report, the Cardinals listed DL Darius Robinson (calf) and OL Jonah Williams (knee) as out for Sunday’s game and DLs Naquan Jones (thigh) and Roy Lopez (ankle) as questionable.
Game notes
Sunday, 3:05 p.m., CBS
BetMGM NFL odds: Cardinals by 1 1/2 (as of Sunday morning).
Against the spread: Bears 4-2-1; Cardinals 5-3
Series record: Bears lead 58-29-6.
Last meeting: Bears beat Cardinals 27-16 in Chicago on Dec. 24, 2023.
Last week: Bears lost to Commanders 18-15; Cardinals beat Dolphins 28-27.
Bears offense: overall (27), rush (19), pass (28), scoring (16).
Bears defense: overall (t11), rush (14), pass (11), scoring (4).
Cardinals offense: overall (12), rush (7), pass (22), scoring (18).
Cardinals defense: overall (27), rush (26), pass (26), scoring (24).
Turnover differential: Bears plus-5; Cardinals plus-1.
Bears player to watch
QB Caleb Williams: The No. 1 overall draft pick had a rough outing against the Commanders last week after a string of promising performances. He was 10-for-24, completing the fewest passes of his young career. Williams fumbled an exchange with offensive lineman Doug Kramer at the goal line in the fourth quarter and earlier took a 15-yard sack that knocked Chicago out of field-goal range.
Cardinals player to watch
Rookie WR Marvin Harrison Jr. is coming off one of the best games of his brief professional career after catching six passes for 111 yards and a TD against the Dolphins. The No. 4 overall pick has had ups and downs during his first season in the league, but he’s already flashed the ability to be a top-tier pass catcher.
Key matchup
Arizona QB Kyler Murray vs. Bears defense: Chicago’s had a solid defensive unit this season, ranking in the top half of the league in most major categories. Murray has been playing some of his best ball over the past month and is coming off a season-high 307-yard passing performance against the Dolphins.
Key injuries
Bears DE Montez Sweat (shin), LT LT Braxton Jones (knee) and guards Teven Jenkins (knee) and Bill Murray (chest) left last week’s game. Murray was placed on injured reserve this week. … Cardinals DL Darius Robinson (calf) could make his NFL debut after missing the first eight games. RT Jonah Williams (knee) was designated to return from the IR this week and started practicing. RT Kelvin Beachum (groin), DL Naquan Jones (thigh), DL Roy Lopez (ankle) and CB Sean Murphy-Bunting (neck) are also dealing with injuries.
Series notes
The teams have the longest rivalry in league history, meeting for the first time in 1920. They have split their past six games in the series, alternating wins and losses.
Stats and stuff
Chicago has just 10 first-quarter points … The Bears have held opponents to 21 points or fewer in 13 straight games, the NFL’s longest streak since Baltimore’s 13-game run from 2019 to 2020. … The defense has held the opposition to seven touchdowns on 19 trips to the red zone. … RB D’Andre Swift went off for 129 yards on 18 carries last week, including a 56-yard touchdown run. He has run for 386 yards and four touchdowns in the past four games. He also has 147 yards receiving in that span, though he did not catch any passes against Washington. … Williams has been sacked 23 times — third in the NFL behind Cleveland’s Deshaun Watson (33) and the New York Giants’ Daniel Jones (25). … P Tory Taylor ranks second in the NFL with eight attempts downed inside the 10. … Cardinals RB James Conner is set to make his 100th NFL appearance on Sunday. He’ll have played 50 games for the Steelers and 50 for the Cardinals. … Arizona’s offensive line hasn’t allowed a sack in three games. That’s the first time for the franchise since 1975. The offensive line has allowed just 11 sacks through eight games, which ranks second in the NFL behind Buffalo. … Murray is tied with Carson Palmer for fourth in franchise history with 105 TD passes. … S Budda Baker has 79 tackles this season, which ranks first in the league for DBs. … K Chad Ryland has made three game-winning field goals over the past four games. … TE Trey McBride has 42 catches for 446 yards this season, which both rank in the top three for tight ends.
Fantasy tip
Arizona WR Michael Wilson has scored a touchdown in two of the past three games. He usually doesn’t get a lot of volume but might be worth a flex play because of his nose for the end zone.