Chicago Bears: 3 Big takeaways from Week 3 win vs. Cardinals

The Chicago Bears went to Arizona to take on the Cardinals in a Week 3 matchup. They avoided the upset bug and came away with a victory. Here are three takeaways from the game.

After finally getting a win within the first two weeks of the season for the first time since 2014, the Chicago Bears were ready to roll into Arizona. The Cardinals struggled out the gate with no losses and six total points scored for the season. Many (myself included) thought this game would get ugly. They were right early on, but for the wrong reasons.

In a week where upsets happened in spades, the Cardinals looked to create another one. Before we could blink, they had scored a touchdown. That was their first of the season and more than doubled their entire scoring from the previous two weeks (7 to 6). The Bears drove deep on their first drive but ended up with no points after a missed Cody Parkey field goal attempt.

The Cardinals defense, which gave up 58 points in the first two weeks, had Mitch Trubisky running and wondering what to do. With less than two minutes remaining in the first quarter, Trubisky tried to move away from the pass rush, he dropped the ball and the Cardinals recovered. One play later, Arizona quarterback had his second touchdown pass of the game. The Cardinals owned a two-touchdown lead in the first quarter.

The Cardinals did a good job of neutralizing Khalil Mack early on, but you could only do it for so long. He got a sack in the second quarter that seemed to get the defense going. In the second half, the Bears had four consecutive series in which they forced a turnover — three interceptions and a Mack forced fumble. The offense, while not looking good, did just enough to squeak by with three field goals and a touchdown to escape with the win.

Incredibly, with the victory and upsets to the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers, the Bears find themselves in first place. Yes, it’s very early, but let’s enjoy this. It’s been a long time since we could say “The first place Chicago Bears.”

Here are three takeaways from the Bears’ Week 3 victory over the Cardinals.