Bears fall to Cardinals in Arizona

The game’s turning point came after Santos’ third field goal drew the Bears to within 14-9 with :26 left in the first half. The Cardinals immediately regained the momentum, extending their lead to 21-9 on running back Emari Demercado’s 53-yard TD run with :04 remaining on a third-and-5 draw play.

“The score at the end of the half, to me that’s on me,” Eberflus said. “I called a pass defense, pass pressure and they ended up running the ball. Again, I can make a better call there. That’s on me.”

The Cardinals rushed for 118 of their 213 yards in the second quarter. The Bears run defense entered Week 9 ranked 14th in the NFL after leading the league last season.

“I do believe that our run defense needs to shore up,” Eberflus said. “When you have a big run like that, obviously the numbers go up. We know how to do it; we’ve done it in the past with the same guys. It’s important that we shore up and make sure we do a better job, starting with the coaches and then the players after that.”

The Bears played without four injured starters in left tackle Braxton Jones (knee), defensive end Montez Sweat (shin), nickel back Kyler Gordon (hamstring) and safety Jaquan Brisker (concussion). Three more players exited the contest with injuries in right tackle Darnell Wright (knee), defensive tackle Andrew Billings (chest) and cornerback Terell Smith (ankle).

The Cardinals took a 7-0 lead on tight end Trey McBride’s 2-yard TD run on a jet sweep with :46 left in the first quarter. The score came one play after McBride’s 15-yard reception from Kyler Murray on third-and-1 and was set up by Greg Dortch’s 27-yard punt return to the Bears’ 41.

The Bears cut the deficit to 7-3 on their next possession on Santos’ 29-yard field goal. The kick was set up by Williams’ 44-yard completion to a wide-open Rome Odunze to the Arizona 23. The Bears reached the 11 but settled for the field goal after three straight incompletions.

The defense followed by generating a key takeaway as undrafted rookie Reddy Steward “Peanut-Punched” the ball away from receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. after a 21-yard reception. Elijah Hicks returned the fumble seven yards to the Arizona 46.

“He had the ball loose and I just reacted to it and I punched it out,” said Steward, a Troy product who made his NFL debut Sunday. “Elijah picked it up and we got that turnover, so it felt good.”

The Bears converted the turnover into Santos’ 53-yard field goal, closing the gap to 7-6 with 9:10 remaining in the second quarter.

But the Cardinals answered as running back Trey Benson’s 1-yard TD run widened the margin to 14-6. It appeared that the Bears had forced Arizona to settle for Chad Ryland’s 32-yard field goal, but a leverage penalty on Gervon Dexter Sr. gave the Cardinals an automatic first down.

Santos’ 53-yard field goal drew the Bears to within 14-9 with :26 left in the half before Demercado’s 53-yard TD run made it 21-9 at halftime.

After the Bears opened the second half with a three-and-out, Ryland’s 29-yard field goal increased Arizona’s lead to 24-9.

The Bears turned the ball over on downs on the first play of the fourth quarter when Williams was sacked for a 16-yard loss on fourth-and-10 from the Arizona 44. The Cardinals failed to pick up a first down but extended their lead to 27-9 on Ryland’s 55-yard field goal.

Arizona later made it 29-9 when D’Andre Swift was penalized for a chop block in the end zone, resulting in a safety with 7:54 remaining in the game.

With their second straight loss, the Bears fell to 4-4. They’ll be back home next Sunday to host the Patriots at Soldier Field.

“We’ve got to circle the wagons and we’ve got to do a really good job of staying tight,” Eberflus said. “That’s what you do in times of adversity. We’ve got everybody we need in the circle of men in there and the staff members in there and the coaches in there. We’ve got everybody we need and [will] take an inward look and make sure we’re doing things the right way. It starts with the coaches first and then it starts with that practice on Wednesday.

“We’ve got to find some good answers for putting our guys in position and we’ve got to do a great job of executing this week. We’re 4-4 right now at the halfway point through and we’re starting a new season now. To me, it’s about getting this first victory and being 1-0 this week.”