Bears vs. Cardinals score: Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins return and lead Arizona to victory in Chicago

Murray returned and the outcome was never in question

The fight was on at Soldier Field this Sunday, or at least for one team, as the Arizona Cardinals handed the Chicago Bears a 33-22 defeat that wasn't as close as the latter would've liked you to believe. The Cardinals entered the game riding high on the return of Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins, both having missed the past several games with injury. Unfortunately for the Bears, that wasn't the only thing working in favor of the red birds, with rookie first-round pick Justin Fields not ready to join Murray and Hopkins in returning for Week 13.

That meant Andy Dalton would again get the nod as QB1, and he wasted no time giving head coach Matt Nagy a sizable migraine. He'd throw two interceptions in his first two offensive drives and the Cardinals turned those into two touchdowns, a sizable lead the struggling Bears offense lacked the firepower to overcome. They did eventually get things going, but it was all too little too late, and in no way was it aided by Dalton tossing two more interceptions before the day was done.

In contrast, and to add insult to Bears injury, Murray became only the fourth-youngest player to pass for 10,000 yards in his career (24 years, 120 days), in a game wherein he also racked up four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing), putting the difference between the two quarterbacks on display in a major way. 

Dalton and the Bears become the latest victim of the Cardinals en route to falling to 4-8 on the season while helping to propel Arizona to a 10-2 record.

Why the Cardinals won

Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins didn't simply return this week, they had their way early against a Bears defense that simply had no answer for whatever the Cardinals offense presented on any given play. The same can be said about the Bears offense, led by Andy Dalton, who looked like a deer in headlights to start the game. Interceptions by safeties Jalen Thompson and Budda Baker turned into touchdowns for Hopkins and Murray, and all of that damage was done in the first quarter -- on the first four pass attempts by Dalton. Things tried to appear competitive as the game went on, but it never truly was.

Between the interceptions (neither of which were due to pressure) and then the ability to begin getting pressure on Dalton, to the tune of three sacks on the day (and four interceptions), it was another outing by the Cardinals that saw them ace their assignment. 

Why the Bears lost

Another week without rookie first-round pick Justin Fields meant another start for Andy Dalton, who threw an interception on his first pass attempt of the afternoon against the Cardinals and then followed it up with another INT on his very next drive. The two turnovers stole any hope whatsoever the Bears might've had for an upset, with their offense getting off to an abysmal start that was matched by their defensive counterparts delivering the exact same. Dalton was able to make a few key plays to keep it from being a blowout, but there was never a point when you thought the Cardinals were in danger.

A defense that lacks the potency of Khalil Mack couldn't figure out how to make the day stressful for Murray, finishing the game with zero sacks (with no interceptions) and several big plays that landed as a result of that statistic.

Turning point

It arrived early in this one, and on the very first pass of the day for Dalton. If the Bears thought they could shock the world, the wind was stolen from their sails by Dalton -- twice on a combined two possessions to start the game.

Play of the Game

OBJ who? James Conner is the daddy now.

King's Blood

"Kliff Kingsbury just bloodied his own lip running into [defensive tackle] Leki Fotu." - Eric Edholm of Yahoo! Sports

What's next

The Cardinals will look to continue their dominance in a critical NFC matchup with the Los Angeles Rams in Week 14, while the Bears ready for another brutal challenge and try to avoid a regular season sweep when they head to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers.

[Dec 5, 2021 at 3:42 pm ET · Patrik Walker]

At this point, Andy Dalton is embarrassing both himself and the organization that had the audacity to believe in him. That's his fourth interception of the day to only one touchdown (a one-yarder) and 158 yards passing (45.6 passer rating).