Bears vs Cardinals: Causes for concern in Week 9 matchup

Moving on from the gut-wrenching loss to the Washington Commanders won't be easy for the Chicago Bears, but they have no choice but to put it behind them. In their last three games, with a bye week in between, the Bears have traveled from London to Washington, D.C., and now Arizona, as they look to get back in the win column.

Most weeks, this column focuses on the matchup between the Bears and their opponent, including strengths and weaknesses on the fields. Given how the team collapsed at the end of the game to the Commanders, there are more questions about decision-making than there is for on the field performances, although the offense was horrid last week.

Here are three causes for concern heading into Chicago's Week 9 matchup against the Cardinals, which could tell a lot about this season.

1. Coaching staff

This week, there was little to no accountability taken by head coach Matt Eberflus for several key moments in the loss to Washington. From Tyrique Stevenson's mental lapse on the Hail Mary, to any punishment for Stevenson, and including the play before the Hail Mary, Eberflus seems like a deer in the headlights right now.

There has been more talk about keeping conversations and decisions in house than there has been about moving forward to the challenges that Arizona presents. Just as Washington was, Arizona comes into their matchup against the Bears riding high momentum while Chicago is looking for many answers. A report on Thursday suggested that there will be discipline for Stevenson to start the game, but the reality is, the defense can't be without him for too long.

Without question, the offense can't sputter out of the gate, as they have all season with just 10 first quarter points in their first seven games. A big focus of Sunday's game will not only fall on the coaching staff to get their offense going much sooner, but how they handle Tyrique Stevenson's discipline, and getting the team prepared for the task at hand in Arizona.

2. Players moving forward

We've heard all week from many team captains and veteran leaders on this team about the handling of Tyrique Stevenson, and the support they're putting around him. But now it is time for the team to show they can move forward with their leaders and focus on the next game.

The offense needs to respond in a major way after an awful showing for the first three quarters. Speaking to the media this week quarterback Caleb Williams discussed having to get off to a better start, and they'll need to do exactly that on the road once again. It's one thing to say that you're moving on and putting the past behind you, but the team will have to wipe their slates clean and play clear-minded football.

On defense, it'll be interesting to see how they respond to any potential discipline for Stevenson. The health of their secondary is up in the air, and if Jaquan Brisker or Kyler Gordon are forced to miss this game, they'll need other members of the secondary to step up. Outside of the secondary, there will be a big need for quarterback pursuit as the Cardinals have not allowed a sack in the past three games, keeping Kyler Murray upright is crucial for him as a valuable dual-threat.

3. Cardinals QB Kyler Murray

Speaking of Murray, the Bears will need to vastly improve their ability to shut down a dual-threat quarterback which they did for most of the game against Jayden Daniels and Washington. There were five drives in which the Bears held the Commanders to five field goal attempts, four of which they made, and that ability to not give up touchdowns undoubtedly kept them in the game until the very end.

Murray has thrown for 1,638 yards this season while putting up 11 passing touchdowns to just three interceptions on the year. He's also added 334 yards rushing with two touchdowns, with a lot of his big-play moments coming with his legs.

Against Jayden Daniels, the Bears allowed nearly 400 yards of total offense by the rookie quarterback, who threw for 326 yards and added 52 yards on the ground himself. Even with holding the Commanders to four field goals, it felt that Daniels, who was battling a ribs injury, could do what he wanted, whenever he wanted.

There's no doubting what the Cardinals are capable of, especially with reliable running back in James Conner, and two very dangerous receiving threats in rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr and tight end Trey McBride. The Cardinals are not short of weapons on either side, but the biggest storylines feel as if they'll come down to the intangibles of this Bears team.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs Cardinals: Causes for concern in Week 9 matchup