3 Chicago Bears' Keys to Success for Week 9 vs the Arizona Cardinals

3) Play smarter situational football from start to finish

The Bears have shown flashes on offense, defense, and special teams through seven games, but putting it all together has escaped them at times, last week being no exception. As this team continues to iron out its identity as the season transitions to its third quarter, finding a way to excel in crucial situations will help turn agonizing losses into momentum-building wins.

One glaring area of improvement would be the offense's third down conversion rate, which sits in the bottom six of the league at just under 33%. Extending drives on third down not only leads to more and better scoring opportunities, but it allows an already ferocious defense with more time to rest on the sideline. Additionally, the offense should look to start faster as they have yet to score a touchdown on an opening drive this season. Finding momentum early would help with consistency issues that have faced the young unit, and would again help the defense make their jobs even easier.