3 matchups that will decide Chicago Bears vs. Cardinals

3) Matt Eberflus vs. his worst instincts

Three of Chicago's five wins this year have been beatings. They destroyed the Commanders 40-20 in Week 5, blew out the Raiders two weeks later, and stomped the Lions two weeks ago. Unfortunately, the Bears have also let several winnable games slip away, and they're only 2-5 in games decided by seven points or less.

Time and again, we've seen the Bears get conservative with a lead, and time and again it has cost them. It happened again last week, and enough is enough. Matt Eberflus needs to instill a killer instinct in this team and not take the air out of the ball once the Bears get ahead.

Vegas has the Bears favored by four points, but the potential is there for this to be a blowout. Montez Sweat is going to terrorize Kyler Murray, but more than racking up sacks, he also has the discipline to keep Murray from getting outside the pocket and beating the Bears on the ground.

James Conner has averaged five yards per carry, but that's not going to happen against this defense, which is #1 in the NFL in rushing yards allowed. If the Bears can continue to force turnovers the way they have recently, the offense should be able to take advantage of short fields against a Cardinals defense that ranks second-to-last in the NFL in defending the run.

That leaves it to Matt Eberflus. If the Bears once again get a lead, can he keep the pedal to the metal, or will he let the Cardinals back in it? Eberflus' status is very much up in the air for next year, and winning or losing these last three games isn't going to be enough for Ryan Poles to make a decision. "Can Matt Eberflus lead the Bears to the promised land?" is the only question that should matter.

When the Bears face a team they should beat, they need to take care of business. This is one of those games. I think we'll learn a lot about Matt Eberflus, Justin Fields, and what this team will look like in 2024, all before Santa comes down the chimney.