3 Takeaways from Bears' Week 16 Win vs. Cardinals
The Chicago Bears continued to make progress in the second half of the 2023 NFL season, as they defeated the Arizona Cardinals in Week 16.
Chicago owns a 4-2 record in its last six games and Justin Fields has looked strong in a majority of those games.
Fields had yet another composed performance in the pocket to lead the Bears to a 27-16 win that felt a lot more comfortable than the 11-point margin of victory.
Fields torched the Arizona defense in both facets of the offense. He threw for 170 yards and ran for 97 yards in his continued audition to remain as the team's starting quarterback going into 2024 and beyond.
Chicago's defense played well again outside of two big passing plays from the Cardinals.
Kyler Murray was unable to develop a consistent rhythm in the pocket, which led to the comfortability inside Soldier Field that the Bears were going to cruise to a victory.
Justin Fields' Progress Extended into Another Game
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Fields' performance is what matters most for the Bears right now.
The former first-round pick is under pressure to thrive because the Bears are in line for the No. 1 overall pick by way of the Carolina Panthers.
The Bears could draft Caleb Williams or Drake Maye, select a difference-maker elsewhere on offense, or trade the pick to collect more draft assets.
The latter two options would happen if the franchise has enough confidence in Fields to be its long-term option at quarterback.
Fields did not have the flashiest stat lines of Week 16, but he was effective with the ball in his hand.
He led the Bears on three scoring drives in the first half and finished off the contest in the second half with a few key runs and throws.
Fields will still be under the microscope in Weeks 17 and 18, but in the last few weeks, he has done enough to build a strong case for keeping him for another season or two.
Cole Kmet's Excellent First Half
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Cole Kmet was the standout star of the passing game during the Bears' 21-point first-half surge.
Kmet caught four passes for 107 yards, with his longest catch being a 53-yard reception that broke the game open.
The 53-yard play came on the first play of the second series and it allowed the Bears to score their first touchdown of the day through Fields.
Kmet came up with three other catches, all of which occurred on the next Bears scoring drives.
Unfortunately, Kmet suffered a knee injury on his fourth catch, but he was able to make a massive impact on the contest before he was ruled out.
Kmet has at least four catches in the last four games and he proved that the Bears have two solid options in himself and D.J. Moore to either add to in the first round of the draft, or for a new quarterback to feel comfortable with immediately.
Bears Defense Made Kyler Murray Uncomfortable
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Kyler Murray rarely had a chance to settle his feet in the pocket at Soldier Field.
The Bears defense was consistently in the Arizona quarterback's face for four quarters and that allowed the offense to pull away by halftime.
Murray finished with 230 passing yards, but a majority of them came in the second half when the Cardinals had no option but to pass.
Chicago gave up two big chunk plays on Arizona's two touchdowns, and if you take away the scoring plays from James Conner and Greg Dortch, Murray would have had 176 passing yards.
The Bears defense played well enough for the final result to not be in doubt, and now that unit must fine-tune things ahead of the closing stretch against the Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers.
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