This decision crushed Chicago Bears vs Cardinals

The Chicago Bears were unlikely to upset the Arizona Cardinals, but it was clear that there was a path to it. The Cardinals have a poor run defense, and if the Bears can do anything on offense at this point, it is run the football.

This showed as the Bears trailed in the game, but kept things close on the back on their ground attack. Every time Andy Dalton dropped back, it seemed that the Bears would watch the deficit grow, but the game would stay close as they stuck on the ground.

Heading into the fourth quarter the Bears trailed 24-14. They had an even 50/50 split that featured 23 rushes and 23 passes. Then, they panicked. Yes, they were down two scores in the fourth quarter, but there was plenty of time to continue to run the ball.

The Cardinals offense was not moving the ball, and already was relying on two turnovers for points. The Bears could run the ball, take maybe five minutes off of the clock, and with about nine minutes left they would trail 24-21. A defensive stop would still give them plenty of time.

However, Matt Nagy and the offense saw the quarter turn to four and completely ditched the game plan. From the fourth quarter through the end of the game the Bears had 18 passes to four runs. Everything they did all game was gone.

Of course, the first drive ended with a pick, and the lead was 27-14. Even then, the Bears had enough time to stick to the run. Nope, they went right back to the pass, and another pick set up a 33-14, and the game was over from there.

No one is saying that the Bears could have won this game if they went 11 passes to 11 rushes instead of 18 to 4. However, it was obvious that the pass was not what was keeping the Bears in the game, and to lean on it was asking for the score to get out of hand. It would have been interesting to see what would have happened if Chicago stuck with the run and put pressure on the Cardinals’ offense to score late without the short field.