Chicago Bears vs Arizona Cardinals Match Player Stats: A Deep Look at Player Performance and Game Trends

The matchup between the Chicago Bears and the Arizona Cardinals has long captured the attention of football fans, analysts, sports writers, and fantasy managers. Conversations about this game do not simply revolve around team rivalries or game outcomes, they almost always lead back to one central point: the player statistics. Whether you study the match from a strategic coaching perspective, evaluate individual impact, or search for dependable fantasy performers, the Chicago Bears vs Arizona Cardinals match player stats tell the most authentic story of what happens on the field.

This contest represents more than an NFL game. It is a balance between defensive grit, offensive evolution, ground game pressure, quarterback adaptability, and rising wide receiver influence. In recent years, the narrative between the two franchises has become especially interesting because of roster transitions, new coaching systems, player development pipelines, and the shifting priorities of offensive identity. The historic dominance of Chicago gives the rivalry depth, while Arizona’s modern offensive creativity adds unpredictability to every face-off.

This article breaks the matchup into every essential layer of player performance: quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, defensive standouts, kicking contributions, efficiency trends, situational impact, and what the numbers mean in real football and fantasy contexts.

A Rivalry Rooted in Generational Matchups

The Chicago Bears franchise has a long winning edge over the Cardinals in the lifetime head-to-head record, shaping decades of rivalry context. But raw history does not win games in the modern NFL. The more telling data comes from recent seasons, when player contributions have become sharper, better tracked, and more impactful on broader evaluation metrics.

One of the most recent major battles took place on November 3, 2024, when the Arizona Cardinals defeated the Chicago Bears 29–9. This game serves as a powerful baseline for understanding player efficiency, offensive style differences, and individual impact under pressure moments.

Quarterback Performance Comparison

Chicago Bears Offense

Caleb Williams entered the 2024 season as the Bears’ breakout investment at quarterback. While he did not start the 2023 Christmas Eve game against the Cardinals, earlier QB leadership from Justin Fields showed Chicago’s ability to win by mixing the air attack with strategic rushing ability. Fields contributed both a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown on December 24, 2023 in Chicago’s 27–16 victory over the Cardinals, proving the value of dual-threat QB flexibility when the Bears succeed.

Williams’ more pocket-focused passing style varies from Fields’ rushing-heavy leadership, but the strategic objective stays the same: give Chicago consistent first-down conversion ability, avoid turnovers, and keep the defense honest through balanced play calling.

Arizona Cardinals Offense

Kyler Murray represents the pivot point for Cardinals’ offensive production. In December 2023, Murray threw for 230 yards and 2 touchdowns without an interception. His precision that game was not the issue. The missing ingredient was the running attack that normally supports Arizona’s scheme. Murray’s ability to scramble, extend plays, and offer rushing yard upside remains one of the main reasons his performances open space for other weapons in the offense.

Running Back Impact and Ground Game Dominance

Cardinals Ground Attack

James Conner has consistently been a core driver in Arizona’s ground-based success against Chicago. On November 3, 2024, he carried the ball 18 times for 107 yards, delivering a powerful and efficient rushing performance. This sort of production aligns perfectly with how Arizona wins games: efficient ground control that opens explosive play windows elsewhere.

Supporting RB Emari Demercado also scored a rushing touchdown in that game, proving the depth of Arizona’s rushing rotation when the offense is rolling.

Bears Ground Attack

Chicago rushed for only 69 yards in the November 2024 loss, offering a sharp contrast. However, the Bears have historically shown that when the ground game clicks, especially behind pass-catching capable backs like Khalil Herbert (who scored an 11-yard TD in December 2023), Chicago becomes more effective, unpredictable, and harder to defend situationally.

Fantasy managers often underestimate Chicago’s backs because the team is not traditionally a rushing-first offense, but the best match player stats often show that Chicago wins when they run enough to remove pressure from the quarterback and soften defensive edges upfront.

Wide Receiver Production and Breakout Performances

Chicago Playmakers

Even in Chicago’s tougher games, individual receiver upside emerges clearly in the stat sheet. Rome Odunze delivered 5 receptions for 104 yards during the November 2024 loss, proving that Chicago’s passing game contains rising playmakers even during inefficient team outings.

Taste-maker receivers have long been a part of Chicago’s rebuild identity. While Odunze is early in his career, his 100-yard receiving games highlight a modern trajectory that Chicago wants in its offense: reliable separation ability, chain-moving receptions, and deep yardage potential when opportunity aligns.

Arizona Playmakers

Although Arizona’s passing totals in November 2024 were not sky-high (137 yards total as a team), the efficiency of offensive yards per play (6.1 YPP vs Chicago’s 3.4) pointed to Arizona’s superior explosive play capability that game. Murray’s precision historically creates opportunity for receivers, even though that specific game did not require a major air attack because of rushing success.

Historically, receivers in Arizona benefit most during games where Conner demands defensive attention, Murray scrambles outside, and play-action passing remains efficient.

Tight End and Supporting Offense Role

Chicago Tight End Profile

Chicago’s tight end role often supports blocking, short-range passing, red-zone spacing, and defensive confusion schemes. Cole Kmet serves as a prime example of dependable TE involvement when Chicago wants possession stability and underneath networks to move chains.

Though tight end stats were not individually highlighted in the November 2024 game losses, TE performance historically tends to surge in games where Chicago cannot run efficiently, making tight ends the pressure release option for first downs and middle-field support.

Arizona Tight End Profile

Trey McBride stands out as Arizona’s modern TE emerging playmaker, offering receiving depth support for Murray’s scramble-extended drives. His seasonal production has made him a fantasy-relevant TE name and a dependable case study in how Arizona distributes short-middle targets when pressured during third-down moments or red-zone compression.

Defensive Match Player Stats That Shift Outcomes

Chicago Defensive DNA

The Bears’ defensive identity historically thrives on pass rush pressure, impact tackles, forced errors, and secondary opportunism. Montez Sweat continues Chicago’s tradition of high-pressure defensive ends who change QB timing, force hurried throws, and impact Arizona quarterbacks during critical moments.

Jaylon Johnson leads the Bears’ modern secondary impact group, delivering lockdown coverage potential, high interception upside, and consistency that frustrates vertical passing lanes when Chicago is controlling the game defensively.

Arizona Defensive DNA

Budda Baker remains Arizona’s tackling engine, coverage-versatile safety leader, defensive communicator, momentum shifter, and consistent stat-sheet producer. If we talk about guaranteed tackle counts in Bears-Cardinals matchups, Baker is usually among the top names on defense, especially when the game slows down into possession battles or involves QB scrambling.

Zaven Collins also brings pressure versatility, run stop reliability, tackle upside, QB read disruption, defensive scheme adaptability, and middle-field eruption capability when execution meets opportunity.

Special Teams Influence You Can’t Ignore

Chicago Kicking Stability

Chicago has benefitted significantly from kicker dependability. Cairo Santos scored all 9 points in the November 2024 loss, converting a 29-yard field goal and two 53-yard field goals, maintaining Chicago’s scoring floor even when offensive yardage dropped too low for touchdowns.

Arizona Kicking Stability

Matt Prater mirrors Arizona’s special-teams reliability philosophy. His ability to convert under pressure, deliver long-range accuracy, stabilize scoring weeks, produce consistent kicking stats, add reliable fantasy floor support, demoralize defenses late, and give Arizona multi-distance threat options continues to make special teams a subtle layer of strength for the Cardinals during matchups where the ground game and passing game do not combine for enough touchdowns.

Offensive Line Contribution Reflected in the Player Stats

Chicago Offensive Line Context

Success for Chicago’s offense usually involves offering the quarterback clean pockets, reasonable protection timing, stable run gaps, minimal pressure penetration allowed, balanced blocking performance, lower sack totals allowed, consistent snap accuracy from center, open edge control, middle gap strength, and consistency across game phases.

James Daniels represents Chicago’s interior line strength example in terms of center position stability, snap control, pass protection execution, quarterback timing preservation, internal pressure reduction influence, blitz pickup reliability, zone run support, and short-yard network blocking influence.

Arizona Offensive Line Context

Arizona’s offensive line impact often becomes visible through big rushing games. The Cardinals rushed for 213 yards on November 3, 2024, a credit not just to Conner and Demercado, but to line efficiency, gap creation accuracy, zone-blocking execution, minimal penetration allowed in run plays, Murray pocket preservation for play-action, and tackle efficiency support for deep rushing yard totals.

Efficiency, Momentum, and Situational Stats

Bears-Cardinals Counting Metrics

Arizona achieved 6.1 yards per play compared to Chicago’s 3.4 in November 2024. The Bears ran 70 total plays to Arizona’s 57, but Arizona created far more yard efficiency. The Bears converted only 3 of 14 third-downs while Arizona completed 5 of 13. Time of possession remained fairly even, Chicago capturing 31:01 minutes and Arizona 28:59 minutes, but possession length only helps if you score on those drives.

What This Means

• Chicago must generate red-zone conversion ability rather than field-goal-only scoring.

• Arizona wins when Murray scrambles, Conner runs efficiently, and YPP stays high.

• Chicago wins when Fields-style QB rushing joins Herbert runs and balanced passing.

• Arizona loses rhythm when ground totals dip too low, even if Murray passes well.

• Defensive tackles and coverage stats emerge from QB scramble pressure.

• Austin explosions matter more than sheer possession volume.

Fantasy Football Takeaways

If you follow fantasy leagues tied to this rivalry, the best profiles look like this:

Chicago Fantasy Profiles

• Dual-threat QB rushing upside is gold

• Pass-catching RBs matter when TE pressure releases rise

• Receivers like Odunze emerge even in losses

• Kickers like Santos add floor when touchdowns are absent

• Defensive ends like Sweat add pressure and force rushed throws

• Secondary DBs like Johnson bring interception upside

Arizona Fantasy Profiles

• Murray scramble extensions open yards for receivers

• Conner is a high-touch RB with big yard breakout potential

• Demercado TDs signal rotation depth

• Baker brings unstoppable tackle floors

• McBride adds short-middle target reliability

• Prater converts long-range kicking floor contributions

Fantasy winners pick players who offer balance, not just volume.

Potential Weak Points Revealed Through Player Stats

Chicago Weak Points

• Rear-seat space for intensive ground attack is not class-leading

• Offense struggles when rush yards dip too low

• Third-down inefficiency kills momentum

• Field-goal dependency means losing scoring dominance

• Limited gap creation increases QB pressure exposure

Arizona Weak Points

• Passing volume drops when ground success runs high

• Offense suffers when Conner attention is not supported by gap creation

• Fantasy receiver stats dip when Murray doesn’t scramble or play-action declines

• Relying on big-play efficiency only works if defense is soft enough

Final Thoughts

The Chicago Bears vs Arizona Cardinals match player stats do more than describe the matchup. They define it. This game is always written by individual performance seam strength, quarterback adaptability, rushing efficiency, receiver opportunity capture, tackle floors from defense, and special teams reality checks that keep scoring steady when offense stalls.