ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals delivered an all-around performance at home against the Chicago Bears, defeating them by a stress-free margin of 29-9.

The Cardinals defense showed up and held Caleb Williams and the Bears to just three field goals and just 241 total yards – a recipe for a strong win in front of a home crowd. Arizona has now won three straight games and will improve to 5-4 remaining atop the NFC West.

But Sunday’s game provided some intriguing signs of growth for the Cardinals. The victory was the result of some rather surprising factors. Here are the conclusions of an impressive victory in the desert.

Arizona’s thin defensive line has come under plenty of fire so far in the 2024 season. Understandable, considering they rank near the bottom of the league in almost every measurable production metric when it comes to pressuring opposing quarterbacks.

Sunday’s game was the opposite. After recording just four sacks over their last three games, Arizona’s D-line was a threat as Williams’ attempts to rotate away from the sacks were mostly unsuccessful.

The Cardinals recorded a season-high six sacks that day. Six different players were credited with at least half a sack, with Zaven Collins recording two and rookie DL Xavier Thomas managing one and a half sacks.

It was a team effort, with defensive coordinator Nick Rallis applying extra pressure through several looks. Chicago’s Williams, who made a name for himself by escaping pressure, was generally well controlled and, after a few early completions, seemed to struggle to find his receivers under heavy pressure.

The Cardinals’ defensive line certainly needs another boost — general manager Monti Ossenfort still needs to address that position of need, but what Rallis was able to do with his unit and the across-the-board, disciplined execution by Arizona’s pass rushers was the difference in this game, as the six sacks gave the Cardinals a 45-yard swing.

It was a bit of a sore spot for Cardinals fans, media and the like. Arizona, a team built to run the ball and control the clock, struggled to establish this as the primary route to wins.

On Sunday, the Cardinals were able to rush for a whopping 213 yards and three touchdowns on 34 attempts, good for 6.3 yards per carry. The offensive line was dominant and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing had an excellent handle on the ground game.

While much of their success on the ground was once again due to tough running back James Conner, who rushed for his third 100-yard day of 2024, they weren’t bothered by Conner being the only competent back on the field. field was.

Emari Demercado, following a pair of pulling linemen, had a huge 53-yard score as the first half was about to expire, and rookie Trey Benson ran for his first career NFL touchdown after Conner briefly left for concussion testing to undergo.

Conner would clear protocol and return to the game, but overall, Arizona’s backs and the line blocking for them were exceptional, eclipsing 200 yards without seeing quarterback Kyler Murray use his legs more than twice, while the signal caller ran forward. only 6 meters.

By all accounts, this was a Shanahan-esque winning style, as the Cardinals maintained long, time-consuming drives and rarely had to rely on the pass to succeed. Murray went an efficient 13-for-20, but threw for only 154 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions.

It was the first game all season in which Murray didn’t throw a touchdown pass, but the fact he never had to was a testament to Petzing’s excellent game plan and the offense’s near-perfect execution.

The Cardinals haven’t played with the lead often in 2024, and three of their wins have been of the comeback variety. Sunday’s game showed what this offense can be, and was the blueprint for how Arizona wants to dominate and win games.

Head Coach Jonathan Gannon is known for his work developing defensive backs. At times you feel that this defensive unit has often left players wide open in space or been too physically aggressive, leading to penalties.

Granted, some of that is due to the lack of pressure on opposing quarterbacks. It’s difficult for even the most elite cornerbacks and safeties to cover for long periods of time, especially in off-script situations.

But Sunday’s game was an excellent performance by Arizona’s secondary. Veteran Budda Baker recorded an impressive 12 tackles (10 solo), but it was the younger defenders who shone in the win.

Rookie corner Max Melton recorded two tackles and a PBU, corner Starling Thomas V also had a PBU, with six tackles to go.

Sophomore corner Garrett Williams, who has performed well all season, was among the best defensive backs in the NFL in 2024, knocking down two passes on his five tackles.

They held Caleb Williams to just 216 yards through the air, and the first overall pick completed just 22 of his 41 passes, giving him a poor 68.9 passer rating and 5.3 yards per attempt against Arizona’s secondary .

A steady dose of pressure makes the job much easier for young secondary players, but Arizona’s corners played disciplined ball, stuck to their assignments and played clean football. As a team, the Cardinals have only committed two penalties, both for fouls.

That’s a recipe for future success. If the young defensive backs continue to develop under Gannon and Rallis and pass-rush reinforcements are added, the Cardinals defense could be a candidate to jump from a bottom feeder to one of the more elite units in the NFL.

Certainly, they did their part on Sunday.