Takeaways from the Chicago Bears vs. Arizona Cardinals in Week 9

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It was a no good, very bad day for the Chicago Bears in Arizona.

From getting hailed on in Glendale, Arizona, to a porous run defense and, finally, to the struggling offense, the Bears floundered in a 29-9 loss to the Cardinals.

Here are our takeaways from the Bears' trip to the desert to play the Arizona Cardinals.

The run defense had no answer for the Cardinals

At the end of the first half, the Bears called a pass defense.

The Cardinals exploited it with a 53-yard touchdown run by Emeri Demercado, who sliced through the Bears' front line, around the second level and away from the secondary.

In the first half, the Cardinals had 148 rushing yards. Dual-threat Kyler Murray did not have a rush attempt.

The secondary, as per usual, was on point. Reddy Stewart stepped in for the injured Terell Smith when Smith left the game with an injury, and made plays. He forced a fumble on Marvin Harrison Jr. and the Bears' offense turned that into points.

Through both halves of the game, the Bears had no answer for the Cardinals' rushing attack. Veteran running back James Connor seemed to have a step on the Bears' defense at every step of the way. Connor went over 100 yards rushing and the Cardinals went over 200 rushing yards as a team.

By the time the Bears got a handle on things, it was the fourth quarter and the Cardinals had a multiple-score lead.

The offense is still searching for answers

The Arizona Cardinals aren't exactly elite.

The Cardinals ranked 26th in total defense, 26th against the pass, 26th against the run, 24th in points allowed, 27th in sacks, dead last in third-down defense, and 29th in quarterback hurries.

The Bears struggled.

All that to say, the output the Bears had on Sunday doesn't match what the Bears have done against teams that struggle on defense.

The reason why is the Cardinals kept putting pressure on Williams. There was just no answer for the pass rush the Cardinals dialed up for most of the day. Arizona had six sacks on the day; Zaven Collins had multiple sacks.

In the fourth quarter, the Bears were sacked on three-consecutive offensive plays. The banged-up offensive line had no answer.

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 03: James Conner #6 of the Arizona Cardinals runs past Reddy Steward #27 and DeMarcus Walker #95 of the Chicago Bears in the second quarter of a game at State Farm Stadium on November 03, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo

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It was a bad day all around

The hardest thing about sports, at times, is just how much of a

Sometimes, you do it to yourself. Such as the pass defense that lent itself to the 53-yard touchdown run at the end of the first half.

Sometimes, it's just not your day.

Caleb Williams still made good throws, but his accuracy left much to be desired. The offensive line struggled, allowing too many quarterback hits. The run game wasn't consistent. Keenan Allen dropped passes he usually catches. Gervon Dexter Sr. was called for a "leverage" penalty during a field goal attempt, which Arizona capitalized on with a touchdown. D'Andre Swift was called for a chop block that caused a safety.

Mix that with the defensive struggles in the run game, and the Bears were just struggling in the desert.

They'll come back home next week, but this is a team that's struggling.