Bears vs. Cardinals: Studs and duds from Chicago's Week 9 loss

The Chicago Bears (4-4) suffered an embarrassing 29-9 loss to the Arizona Cardinals (5-4), which marked their second straight loss and they remain winless on the road.

In many ways, this game felt like a must-win given the sense of urgency and the week of distractions amid players questioning coaching decisions and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson's antics on the game-losing Hail Mary. But once again, head coach Matt Eberflus didn't have his team ready to go. They were unprepared and undisciplined in what was a winnable game.

The offense failed to score a touchdown, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams was beat up all game (including six sacks) and an injury-depleted defense had their worst outing of the season and allowed more than 21 points for the first time in 14 games.

The Bears are now 3-18 in road games under Eberflus, whose job security is a huge question mark at this point of the season, and rightfully so.

There were plenty of standout (mostly bad) performances in this rough defeat. We’re taking a look at the mostly duds and a couple of studs from the Bears' loss vs. Arizona:

Dud: HC Matt Eberflus

Don't look now, but Matt Eberflus is officially on the hot seat (article to come this week). Following last week's brutal defeat that left players questioning coaching decisions and accountability, Eberflus' team answered with an embarrassing outing against a struggling Cardinals team that had one of the worst defenses in the league. This was as close to a must-win as you could get for the Bears, and the team played their worst game of the season against a very beatable opponent. His team was unprepared and undisciplined, which has become the hallmark of a Matt Eberflus-led team. Not to mention, Eberflus kept rookie quarterback Caleb Williams in the game, which was out of reach, after he had been beaten up all game. Not a good look.

Dud: OC Shane Waldron

Shane Waldron is not the answer for Caleb Williams as he continues to drive this offense into the ground. While there's plenty of blame to go around for the offense's brutal showing against a struggling Cardinals defense that's beatable on the ground and through the air, the buck stops with Waldron. Tight end Cole Kmet continues to be ignored, which is ludicrous considering he's been one of their best weapons and this offense has found success when he's involved in the passing game. Waldron isn't the answer, and he continues to put Williams and this offense in unfavorable positions.

Dud: WR Keenan Allen

The Bears traded for veteran Keenan Allen to be a reliable pass catcher for rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, but he hasn't proven to be that guy. That was evident in Sunday's loss, where Allen showed his age and struggled to haul in some simple catches that the offense needed to keep the chains moving. Allen finished with two catches for 17 yards on eight targets.

Dud: Offensive line

The Bears offensive line was already among the worst in the NFL, and then the injury factored into Sunday's embarrassing outing. Chicago was down starting left tackle Braxton Jones, who suffered a knee injury in last week's loss, so it was Larry Borom getting the starting nod fresh off injured reserve, and the results were as expected. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams was under constant duress and was sacked six times on the afternoon. For what it's worth, the Cardinals had only totaled 15 sacks in eight total games before this game.

Dud: QB Caleb Williams

This is not an ideal situation for rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, who is playing behind an injury-riddled offensive line and with a play caller who fails to put him in a position to succeed with easy completions. Williams doesn't deserve all of the blame for the offense's embarrassing performances -- where they failed to score a touchdown -- but he continues to struggle with deep-ball accuracy and missed some receivers. Williams completed 22-of-41 passes for 217 yards. The good news is he didn't turn the ball over.

Stud: K Cairo Santos

For all intents and purposes, Santos was the Bears offense in this game. The offense failed to score a touchdown, and Santos accounted for all nine of their points. He went a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals, including a pair of 53-yarders. If not for Santos, this Chicago offense is shut out.

Stud: WR Rome Odunze

The Bears offense had a pathetic showing against the Cardinals, but rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze shined with his second 100-yard outing of the season. Odunze was a consistent pass catching option for Williams, hauling in a team-best five catches for 104 yards.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs. Cardinals: Studs and duds from Chicago's Week 9 loss