QUARTERLY: C

For the second game in a row, Caleb Williams had to do way too much himself. He threw a 44-yard pass to a wide-open Rome Odunze in the second quarter, but that was a rare instance of a downfield receiver being open at all. With the Bears unable to withstand the mounting pressure, Williams was sacked six times and wasn’t much better than last week: 22 of 41 for 217 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions for a passer rating of 68.9.

DEFENSE LINE: D

The absence of injured defensive end Montez Sweat seemed to hamper the Bears’ pass rush, but it was their run defense that fell apart without their star. The Cardinals rushed for 213 yards on 34 carries (6.3 average), including a disastrous 53-yard touchdown by backup Emari Demercado with four seconds left in the half. Chris Williams and Jacob Martin had sacks. Defensive tackle Andrew Billings left in the third quarter with a box in the jury and did not return.

SECONDARY: D

Cornerback Terell Smith started for Tyrique Stevenson and had a pass breakup that forced a punt on the first series, but suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter and did not return. Stevenson (seven tackles) returned for the third series and had a pass breakup in the end zone. Reddy Steward – just promoted from the practice squad – forced a fumble from Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., while Elijah Hicks (seven tackles) recovered. But Jaylon Johnson and Hicks were among a number of helpless defenders during Demercado’s crushing 53-yard touchdown late in the first half.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C

Cairo Santos was 3 of 3 on field goals, including two from 53 yards, but that was a rare highlight. The Bears allowed Greg Dortch’s 27-yard punt return, creating a short field for the Cardinals at the Bears’ 41. Gervon Dexter was called for a rare leverage penalty on a made field goal that led to a Cardinals touchdown.

COACHING: F

After fumbling through a tough week following the loss to the Commanders, the short-handed Bears had a chance to make up for it with a solid performance against a beatable opponent, but fell short in all three phases. And for a team that values ​​responding to adversity, the Bears didn’t do either, falling behind on offense and defense after falling behind. A bigger step backwards than last week, in the grand scheme of things.

A look at three key issues that emerged in their latest debacle, leaving them at 4-4.

By means of Jason Lieser

A week after being stunned by a Hail Mary touchdown pass, the Bears’ defense suffered another inexplicable mistake — allowing Cardinals backup Emari Demercado to rush past them for a 53-yard touchdown with four seconds left go in the first half.

By means of Mark Potas

The Bears are 4-4, while the rest of the NFC North sits comfortably above .500, and their remaining schedule is the toughest in the league. Those playoff dreams are a fantasy.

By means of Jason Lieser