The Chicago Bears are looking to do something this week that they haven’t done since 2014, as they will try to run their record above .500 when they take on the Arizona Cardinals.
The Bears evened their record at 1-1 when they beat the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night, and they’ll try to make it two in a row as they head to Arizona to take on the lowly Cardinals.
In the early going, the Bears’ defense has been the star of the show, giving up 323 yards per game and registering 10 total sacks, the most in the NFL through the first two weeks.
By contrast, the team’s offense has shown signs of life, but has largely underwhelmed in the early part of the season. Mitchell Trubisky has two touchdowns and two interceptions while averaging 170 passing yards per game, and Tarik Cohen has been slow to get going, with 66 total yards of offense in two games.
At least one of those trends should continue this week, as the Cardinals have scored a total of six points in their first two games and could be without wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald as he deals with a hamstring injury.
Under new head coach Steve Wilks, their offense has been putrid in every sense of the word, as they’re dead last in the NFL in passing yards and the second-to-worst rushing offense in the league, averaging just 175 yards per game on offense thus far this season.
The Cardinals’ defense hasn’t been much better, giving up an average of 29 points per game and a staggering 430.5 yards of offense per game, the third-worst total in the league.
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Even with those concerns, the Cardinals aren’t quite ready to make wholesale changes yet, sticking with starting quarterback Sam Bradford and simplifying their playbook in advance of their game against the Bears.
The Bears have opened as a road favorite in the game, and with the performances of their defense in recent weeks, that likely won’t change as the team heads to the desert for their second straight game against an NFC West opponent.
