The game will mark the halfway point of the season for Arizona, and we’re still not sure who these Cardinals are. Are they the team that marched into New Jersey and manhandled the New York Giants or the team that came home and was embarrassed by the Carolina Panthers?
THE SKINNY
The game will mark the halfway point of the season for Arizona, and we’re still not sure who these Cardinals are. Are they the team that marched into New Jersey and manhandled the New York Giants or the team that came home and was embarrassed by the Carolina Panthers?
Bears’ young receivers becoming weapons
The Cardinals tend to play their best when they have a chip on their shoulder, so you’d expect a motivated team to take the field Sunday. The Bears are 3-0 at home, including an early-season victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, and their confidence was restored after last Sunday’s 30-6 thrashing of Cleveland.
If the Cardinals win, they’ll be in great shape heading into the second half of the season. If they lose, they could find themselves again tied with San Francisco (which hosts one-win Tennessee) for the NFC West lead.
THREE THINGS TO WATCH
1. Expect coach Ken Whisenhunt to try to take advantage of a suspect Bears secondary by throwing a few more deep balls to Larry Fitzgerald. The lack of a downfield passing game was a hot topic this past week, and Whisenhunt knows the Cardinals need to be able to strike quicker rather than having to rely on 10- or 12-play drives.
2. The Cardinals’ No. 1 run defense was blistered for 270 yards by Carolina. Now here comes Chicago’s Matt Forte, a physical runner who will test Arizona’s interior defense. Arizona needs to make the Bears one-dimensional — quarterback Jay Cutler has been known to throw a few interceptions — and the only way to do that is stop Forte.
3. The Bears aren’t the defensive force they once were, but they can make life difficult for Kurt Warner if defensive tackle Tommie Harris gets inside penetration and forces Warner to move out of the pocket. If Harris is contained, Warner should have time to throw and pick apart Chicago’s secondary.
Cardinals at Bears
When: 11 a.m. Sunday
Where: Soldier Field, Chicago
TV/Radio: Channel 10/KTAR (620 AM)
Records: Arizona 4-3, Chicago 4-3
Cardinals offense
WR Larry Fitzgerald
LT Mike Gandy
LG Reggie Wells
C Lyle Sendlein
RG Deuce Lutui
RT Levi Brown
TE Stephen Spach
WR Anquan Boldin
QB Kurt Warner
RB Tim Hightower
FB Dan Kreider
Cardinals defense
DE Calais Campbell
NT Bryan Robinson
DE Darnell Dockett
OLB Chike Okeafor
ILB Karlos Dansby
ILB Gerald Hayes
OLB Clark Haggans
RCB Bryant McFadden
LCB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
SS Adrian Wilson
FS Antrel Rolle
Bears offense
WR Earl Bennett
LT Orlando Pace
LG Josh Beekman
C Olin Kreutz
RG Roberto Garza
RT Chris Williams
TE Greg Olsen
WR Devin Hester
QB Jay Cutler
FB Jason McKie
RB Matt Forte
Bears defense
LDE Adewale Ogunleye
DT Tommie Harris
DT Anthony Adams
RDE Alex Brown
SLB Hunter Hillenmeyer
MLB Nick Roach
WLB Lance Briggs
LCB Charles Tillman
RCB Zackary Bowman
SS Al Afalava
FS Danieal Manning
