Bears vs. Cardinals recap: Everything we know about Chicago’s Week 13 loss

Coming off of a win on Thanksgiving, the Chicago Bears hosted the top-seeded Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Unlike last week, the Bears are back in the losing column, making them 1-5 in their last six games.

While Chicago had a chance to pull off the upset, they committed too many mistakes that led to the Bears’ eighth loss of the season.

Let’s take a look at everything we know after Chicago’s Week 13 loss to Arizona.

Final Score: Cardinals 33, Bears 22

AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

Keys to the Game

AP Photo/David Banks

Bears’ rushing attack: The Bears started their rushing attack early and often on Sunday, as they had 26 designed running plays for a total of 106 yards, along with one rush from Andy Dalton for six yards to avoid a sack. David Montgomery had 21 of those runs for 90 yards and a touchdown.

Losing the turnover battle: If the Bears were going to win this game, they had to not turn the football over. Instead, Dalton turned the football over four times. With how bad the weather was, field position and time of possession were the two most important keys to winning. Turning the football over and giving the Cardinals great field possession doesn’t help your chances. All four interceptions gave Arizona perfect field position inside Chicago’s 30-yard line.

Poor Coaching: Matt Nagy did not manage this game well, at all. The decision to not bench Dalton after his third interception midway through the fourth quarter was terrible. The decision to not go for it right before halftime at midfield on fourth down with two yards to go could have been a game changer. Nagy’s decision-making continues to get worse week-by-week. Key thing to note, his team went 4-for-4 on fourth down. Imagine if they went for it on fourth-and-2 at the 49-yard line.

It was over when...

AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

It was over when Dalton threw his third interception of the game to Byron Murphy. That ball he threw was right to Murphy and set Arizona up in perfect position to score.

This interception came right after Arizona was called for roughing the punter, which gave the Bears new life on their drive. The momentum Chicago was given from that penalty was quickly switched back in the wrong direction.

That interception turned into a Cardinals field goal, making it 27-14. On the following possession, Dalton threw another interception that helped make it a 33-14 Arizona lead.

3 Duds of the Game

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***Sam Mustipher: Center Sam Mustipher fumbled the football twice in Sunday’s loss. The poor weather hurt his connection with Dalton on snapping the football, but luckily for them, they didn’t turn the football over on the ground.

**Cole Kmet: Tight end Cole Kmet was the cause of one of Dalton’s interceptions as the ball bounced out of his hands into Budda Baker’s hands. He was thrown to seven times and ended up with three catches. Outside of his 24-yard reception, it was a very underwhelming day for him.

*Andy Dalton: Dalton played a horrible game on Sunday. He turned the football over four times in the air, helping put this game out of reach. On all four interceptions, the Cardinals scored. Twenty-four of Arizona’s 33 points came off of a Dalton interception. His poor play likely has put a bow on the Bears season, now with eight losses. Dalton finished completing 26-of-41 passes for 229 yards, two touchdowns and four picks.

What's next

AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

Next week, the Bears will travel to Green Bay to play the Packers for the final time this season. They play at 7:20 p.m. CT on Sunday Night Football.

Though the playoffs don’t seem likely for the Bears, beating the Packers in their final meeting of the season would be a small victory looking back at the 2021 season.

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