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Murray had his best game of the season last Sunday in Miami, completing 26 of 36 passes for 307 yards, two touchdowns and a passer rating of 116.3, leading the Cardinals to a 28-27 victory. He faces a Bears defense that leads the nfl with an opponent passer rating of 76.2, ranks fourth in points allowed per game (17.0) and has not exceeded in the last 13 contests since last year Allowed 21 points.
Murray's ability to extend plays with his legs will be a challenge for the Bears. In addition to being a threat as a runner, the Cardinals quarterback also leads the NFL with a passer rating of 116.5 and four touchdowns on plays when he had at least four seconds to throw, according to Next Gen Stats.
“We have to do a good job of making sure we understand how we can impact the quarterback with that type of speed and mobility,” Washington said. “And that means it starts with our four-man rush. Where is the starting point? How can we squeeze the pocket and fold it inside out to make sure we stay available to follow through and just execute the plan that we have.” “Some of the quarterback runs are mission driven and we have to make sure we are in a good position, not just with the person who could be involved in the option play, but with the entire defensive concept.”
The Cardinals' offense also features running back James Conner, tight end Trey McBride and rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. Conner ranks eighth in the NFL in rushing with 557 yards and four touchdowns on 129 carries. McBride is 11th with 42 receptions for 446 yards. And Harrison had six catches for 111 yards and a touchdown, a career best, last Sunday in Miami.
(2) Start quickly on offense.
This season, the Bears were outscored 29-10 in the first quarter before outscoring their opponents 153-90 over the final three periods. They scored just one touchdown in the first quarter and none on their opening drives.
“It's something we've talked about internally every week,” offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said. “And it's something that we've addressed and discussed about the 'why' of each game, because each game has its different issues that can arise.”
After taking a look himself during the bye week, Waldron pointed out that a lack of success on third down was a key factor in the offense's slow starts. The Bears have converted on just 16.7% of their third-down opportunities (3 of 18) this season.
They are determined to eliminate the negative plays that have put them in predictable passing situations. On their first two possessions in last Sunday's loss to the Commanders, the Bears failed to convert on third-and-20 after a sack and delay-of-game penalty and on third-and-10 after a false start.
Rookie quarterback after failing to score in Washington's first seven possessions Caleb Williams engineered two touchdown drives that allowed the Bears to turn a 12-0 deficit into a 15-12 lead with 25 minutes to play. Williams knows how important it is to get off to a better start on Sunday in Arizona.
“In the first half I didn’t necessarily play the way I wanted,” he said. “The ability to snap late in the game and get things going when you're so far down and have so many negative or stalled drives is a positive thing.” [But] We have to start quickly. We have to find ways to achieve this. We have to find ways to sustain that through four quarters or however many games, drives that you need to be able to win games.”
(3) Return to form in attack.
The offense got off to a flying start in the Bears' bye week, having scored five touchdowns in back-to-back games for the first time since 1956 and scoring at least 35 points in consecutive games for the first time since 2006. Williams was the catalyst with his contribution passer ratings of 106.6, 126.2 and 124.4 in three straight wins.
After that momentum was halted last Sunday in Washington, the offense will look to make a difference against a Cardinals defense that ranks 24th in the NFL in points per game (25.6) and 27th in yards allowed (376.5). to get back on track. Senior safety Budda Baker leads the unit with 79 tackles. As the Seahawks' offensive coordinator for the past three seasons, Waldron faced Baker as an NFC West opponent twice a year.
“There are a lot of great players on every team in the league every week and then there are those unique players like Budda Baker who really set the tone, set the attitude, set the culture for a team and a defense,” Waldron said. “Talk about a fearless player who is always in attack mode. He’s one of those guys that we always have to respect and be accountable to.”
The Bears will undoubtedly rely on the running back again D'Andre Swiftwhose 533 yards from scrimmage since Week 4 are the second-most among NFL running backs behind the Ravens' Derrick Henry. On Sunday, Swift will attempt to become the third Bears player since 1970 to record at least 100 yards from scrimmage and rush for a TD in five straight games, joining Hall of Famer Walter Payton (1977) and David Montgomery ( 2020).
