A big mistake cost the Chicago Bears again in the final seconds of the first half, marking the second week in a row they faced this issue. This time, it put the Bears in a position they couldn’t recover from.
Just a week after losing to Washington on a last-second Hail Mary, the Bears let Emari Demercado run 53 yards for a touchdown with only four seconds left in the first half during Sunday’s 29-9 defeat to the Arizona Cardinals.
“At one point, it was 7-6 and from there it kind of got out of hand,” Bears quarterback Caleb Williams said. “It’s tough to be in that position and have those things happen.”
Chicago (4-4) seemed to be improving after a rough start to the season, arriving in Washington on a three-game winning streak.
However, their momentum came to a sudden stop with a painful finish against the Commanders, which ended with a 52-yard Hail Mary pass to Noah Brown, resulting in an 18-15 loss.
The defeat was even harder to accept when social media showed Chicago cornerback Tyrique Stevenson with his back turned, gesturing to the crowd while the final play was happening. He got back into the action too late, and the ball was tipped right to Brown for the winning touchdown.
Stevenson apologized to his teammates, but he left practice early on Wednesday after finding out he wouldn’t start against the Cardinals (5-4). He didn’t enter the game until the third series but ended up tying for the team lead with seven tackles and broke up two passes.
“Feelings are a little hurt, disappointed, but decisions made,” Stevenson said. “I can’t go against the decisions. I’m here to be a team player, be a great guy for this team and that’s what I set out to do today.”
It didn’t seem to matter who played for the Bears.
Chicago’s defense, which is one of the NFL’s best against the run, allowed 213 rushing yards, with James Conner accounting for 107 of those. The offense struggled to move the ball three times and had to settle for field goals while the game was still within reach.
Quarterback Caleb Williams wasn’t able to escape Arizona’s pressure, losing 45 yards from six sacks. He passed for 217 yards, completing 22 out of 41 attempts.
“We’re showing flashes, but we’ve got to find a way to keep the light on,” Williams said. Chicago’s biggest mistakes caused the most problems.
The first mistake happened in the second quarter when a made field goal turned into a touchdown for Arizona.
Chad Ryland successfully kicked a 32-yard field goal, but the Cardinals were given another chance when Gervon Dexter Sr. from Chicago was called for illegal leverage on the snapper. Trey Benson then scored on a 1-yard run three plays later, putting Arizona ahead 14-6.
“That was obviously a big play in the game,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. Even after the big mistake and all the field goals, the Bears were still in a position to compete. But things quickly got worse.
Cairo Santos made his second 53-yard field goal, bringing the Bears within 14-9 with just 30 seconds left in the first half. The Cardinals began their last drive of the half at their own 30-yard line and looked like they were going to run out the clock after two short gains.
The Bears set up deep to prevent a big play, but they got burned when Demercado broke a tackle, got past the linebackers, and the safeties didn’t cover in time. Instead of being down by five points, Chicago found itself trailing 21-9 at halftime.
“That’s on me,” Eberflus said. “I called a pass pressure and they ended up running the ball. I can make a better call there.” The Bears’ final mistake didn’t change the game’s outcome much, but it showed how rough their day was.
Backed up against their own 1-yard line, the Bears seemed to avoid a safety when Williams threw an incomplete pass under pressure.
However, Arizona still got a safety when Bears running back D’Andre Swift was called for an illegal chop block in the end zone, marking a tough afternoon in the desert.
