5 big takeaways from Chicago Bears’ win over Arizona Cardinals on Christmas Eve

CHICAGO – When the Bears needed a stop, they found one in the form of two key defensive plays from rookie cornerback Terell Smith. The fifth-round draft pick made back-to-back nice plays to force a turnover on downs and all but seal a win for the Bears.

There was no fourth-quarter comeback this time. The Bears beat the Cardinals 27-16 on Sunday at Soldier Field. They improved to 6-9 on the season with two games remaining on the schedule.

Here are the five takeaways from a Christmas Eve matchup in Chicago.

1. Did this win mean anything?

The Bears dominated this game on the ground, rushing for 250 yards. The defense played well all afternoon, despite not creating any turnovers. The Bears did what they needed to do to win the game.

They also left some opportunities out there, offensively. Quarterback Justin Fields noted after the game that he felt the Bears should’ve scored “at least 35, 40 points.” The pass game was effective early on, especially with tight end Cole Kmet – who totaled a career-high 107 receiving yards in two quarters.

But the passing attack screeched to a halt when Kmet exited with a knee injury (more on that in a minute). Overall, Fields finished with 170 passing yards on 15-of-27 attempts for one touchdown and one interception.

“I see it as progress,” head coach Matt Eberflus said when asked of Fields. “When you’re the winning quarterback on the winning team, that’s always good, right? He’s been part of that. The last three out of four wins have been coming out of the two-minute, and he’s been part of that. I certainly do see progress.”

The Bears haven’t technically been eliminated from the playoffs, but they need a miracle. Fields isn’t the only one facing uncertainty. Are late-season wins enough to save Eberflus’ job in 2024? All along, the head coach has never worried about those types of big-picture things.

“Every week’s got its challenges, and if you focus on more than just this week, it’s never a good recipe for success,” Eberflus said.

2. Kmet has career day, then exits with injury

Kmet made several nice plays in the first half, including a 53-yard reception from Fields that was one of the Bears’ best offensive plays of the day. That play set up the Bears’ first touchdown of the afternoon.

Later, Kmet caught passes of 20 and 29 yards. The 29-yard completion proved to be his fourth and final catch of the day. Kmet took a hard hit on the play and stood up gingerly. When the offense came off the field, Kmet went into the injury tent. He did not return to the game.

At halftime, the Bears reported that Kmet had a knee injury. He did not play another snap. Eberflus said the prognosis “looks positive,” but the Bears will know more Monday.

The Bears signed Kmet to a four-year, $50 million contract extension prior to the season. He’s certainly a part of the team’s long-term plan moving forward. The injury didn’t seem particularly bad at first. Kmet tried to give it a go along the Bears’ sideline, but it was bad enough that the Bears held him out.

“Cole is our brother, and we’re going to pick him up, not miss a beat and do our thing,” tight end Robert Tonyan said. “Today, we were able to do that.”

The injury will be something to watch this week. Kmet has never missed a game, appearing in 64 consecutive Bears contests.

3. Big Dog’s touchdown

With Kmet out, the Bears pivoted to Tonyan and 39-year-old veteran Marcedes Lewis at tight end. Lewis caught a touchdown pass midway through the second quarter. It marked his 40th career touchdown reception and his first as a member of the Bears.

“It just means the work is working,” Lewis said. “I’m not here to have a jersey and just rah-rah. I’m here because I can play ball. As far as me being a leader, I think that naturally comes easy for me, so I don’t look to be a rah-rah guy. I try to lead by example.

“Obviously, it’s always good when you can score, contribute and win the game. That’s what really matters is we came out with the W.”

Lewis is in his 18th season as an NFL tight end. He was a first-round draft pick way back in 2006. He spent 12 seasons in Jacksonville, then five in Green Bay before signing with the Bears in the offseason.

Lewis’ offensive impact doesn’t typically make highlight reels, but it’s the effort and toughness in running situations that helps the offense click.

“It’s like having another tackle out there, really,” said Tonyan, who played with Lewis in Green Bay. “[He is] someone who can pass block literally the best edge rushers and completely eliminate them from the game.”

4. Ground game gets going

Even with running back D’Onta Foreman sidelined because of a personal matter, the Bears found an advantage on the ground. The Cardinals, who are 31st in the NFL against the run, had a hard time stopping the Bears on the ground.

With Foreman out, Khalil Herbert started the game and saw a ton of action. Herbert hadn’t had double digit touches since Nov. 17 against the Detroit Lions. On Sunday, he totaled 112 rushing yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.

The offensive line was creating holes with ease, even with left guard Teven Jenkins sidelined by a concussion he suffered last week.

“We’re all on the same page,” left tackle Braxton Jones said. “The communication was great. From the start of the play to the finish of the play, we were knocking them off the ball and getting a lot of movement. We weren’t really blinking. The back was making a good read. It was just a great situation.”

Fields, too, found ways to be effective on the ground. The quarterback rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown. On his touchdown, he scrambled left and found an opening for a 3-yard touchdown run.

“Just extending plays,” Fields said. “Last week [the Browns] did a lot of drop-eight stuff, so we were kind of expecting some of that stuff. But you know, they don’t have as fast of d-linemen, so I knew I would be able to extend plays and stuff like that.”

5. Cairo Santos inks long-term deal

With the way he has kicked this season, Bears kicker Cairo Santos knew his agent would be working out a contract extension. Santos was in the final year of his contract with the Bears. Through the first 14 games, Santos made 27 of 29 field goals. Over his four years here, he has been the most accurate field goal kicker in team history.

So Santos knew it might be coming, but he made sure to tell his agent not to call until something was imminent.

“I told my agent to not really update me with everything because I wanted to keep focused on the season until you needed me,” Santos said. “He called me Wednesday.”

By Saturday, the deal was done. The 32-year-old kicker inked a new four-year deal worth up to $16 million, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The deal is worth a guaranteed $9.5 million. He will be with the Bears through 2027.

On Sunday, Santos made both his field goal tries, including one from 49 yards, and all three of his extra points. He has been ultra reliable, and he was rewarded for it.

“This time, it feels more special to me because as it gets later in your career, you’ve got to play even better, you’ve got to keep your body in better shape just to keep having the longevity,” said Santos, who grew up in Brazil. “So to have another four years at a place that I call home now, we’re super excited. My family is excited.”