ADAM GREEN

Notes from the Nest: Cardinals vs. Bears

Dec 23, 2012, 9:10 PM | Updated: Dec 24, 2012, 12:29 am

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Game over

Onside kick fails and the Bears take over, kneel down time and this one’s over.

28-13 is your final, the Cards end their home schedule with a loss. Pretty terrible effort offensively, but that’s the norm for this team. Down to the locker room I go.


1:46 left in fourth quarter

Bears field goal attempt is blocked by Adrian Wilson and scooped up by Justin Bethel. Bethel races 82-yards for the score, and Arizona claws back into this one. Heh.

28-13 Bears.


3:54 left in fourth quarter

Hoyer is picked off trying to force the ball to Fitzgerald and the return gets the Bears to the Arizona 10.


4:33 left in fourth quarter

I was right. The Bears punted and the Cardinals take over at their own 29. Fun stuff, this game.


6:57 left in fourth quarter

Cardinals elect to punt on 4th and 7 inside the 50, a curious decision given where this team is both on the season and in this game. White flag, anyone?

Anyway, return is to the 18 where the Bears will take over before likely punting a few plays from now.


9:54 left in fourth quarter

The Bears decide to answer Arizona’s punt with one of their own, and the Cardinals have the ball at the 30. Fans are slowly trickling out of the building. Well, not the Bears fans anyway. They’re sticking around.


12:50 left in fourth quarter

Zastudil punts it away and it’s downed at the seven. This has turned into a real fun one.


End of third quarter

A short pass to Roberts takes us to the end of the quarter, meaning there are just 15 minutes left in the Cardinals’ home slate. They trail 28-6 in this one.


:25 left in third quarter

Defense forces a three-and-out and the punt leaves Arizona with the ball at the 50.


1:43 left in third quarter

Cards move a little but drive ends when Hoyer gets destroyed by Julius Peppers for a sack. Punt is downed at the Chicago 1, so that’s nice.


4:59 left in third quarter

Bears get to midfield before being forced to punt. Cardinals defense hasn’t quit, gotta give them that. Ball bounces into the end zone and the offense will take over at the 20.


10:26 left in third quarter

Hoyer completes a pass to Roberts, which gets the fans to cheer. Then he throws a couple incompletions, which gets the fans to go “meh”. Punt pins the Bears at their own 9.


12:39 left in third quarter

And Brian Hoyer is in the game! The Cards bring the QB in as they start off on their own 20.


12:39 left in third quarter

A holding penalty pushes the Cardinals back and a pass right to Charles Tillman goes for a score. Tillman, of course, is on the Bears, and the pick-six (Lindley’s third of the season) gives the Bears a 28-6 lead.


12:54 left in third quarter

Bears get to midfield before an ill-fated screen pass falls incomplete. Punt is fair caught by Peterson at the 10, where Ryan Lindley (still) will go to work.

Why not give Hoyer a look?


Still Halftime

Going over some of the stats and I see Ryan Lindley has attempted 28 passes. Makes sense.

Cards will kickoff to begin the 3rd quarter.


Halfitme

Cardinals move the ball to midfield before Lindley’s hail mary attempt misses Alfonso Smith on a dump-off. Bears lead 21-6, and you have to wonder if Brian Hoyer will take over after the break.

I think he should.


:19 left in second quarter

Cutler marches the Bears 80 yards in six plays, and finishes things off with an 11-yard TD pass to a wide open Brandon Marshall. The WR beat Peterson on the play, and it looked like the DB expected help from somewhere else. He didn’t get it, and a 21-6 deficit is now staring the Cardinals in the face.


2:00 left in second quarter

Jay Cutler doubles his completion total with a 7-yard pass to Marshall, and the Bears have a 2nd and 3 at the moment.


2:18 left in second quarter

Cardinals pick up a first down but go no further, and a third down attempt to Rob Housler is ruled incomplete. Looked like he caught the ball with one hand but was out of bounds in the end zone. Feely makes a 35-yard field goal (yes, he actually kicked it this time) and the Cards pull to within one score.

14-6 Da Bears lead.


5:05 left in second quarter

Cards go three-and-out (surprise surprise) but catch a break when the punt bounces off a Bear. It’s picked up by Michael Adams who runs it in for a score, but you cannot advance a muffed punt so the Cards will take over at the Chicago 36. Last time they had this kind of field position they moved all of zero yards, let’s hope they do better this time around.


8:18 left in second quarter

Defense gets the stop (with some hissy fits thrown by Patrick Peterson) and the punt is fair caught at the 12. Lindley will “go to work” from there.


8:37 left in second quarter

Bears open the drive with a long run from Forte and now face a 2nd and 8 from the Arizona 47. A touchdown here would pretty much put this game away, no?


9:36 left in second quarter

Cardinals gain no yards on downs one through three and send Jay Feely out for the field goal attempt. Except it’s a fake! That goes nowhere.

Feely fumbles the ball forward (can’t do that) and the run goes for no gain.

So…uhhh…yep.


9:55 left in second quarter

Cardinals nearly get a pick but have to settle for a three-and-out. Short punt is returned to the Chicago 32. Safe to say Arizona needs to get points out of this drive.


10:44 left in second quarter

Cardinals pick up a first on a pass to Larry Fitzgerald, but the drive stalls and Zastudil is brought on to punt it away. Devin Hester’s return takes forever and goes nowhere, and the Bears will start from their own two.

This is where Forte takes a dive and fumbles, right?


13:12 left in second quarter

Brandon Marshall makes an excellent catch and then Forte scores from four-yards out. Bears on top 14-3 and with the way Arizona’s offense struggles, that seems like a HUGE lead.


End of first quarter

Bears lead 7-3 after one but are driving. So far Jay Cutler has yet to complete a pass.


:31 left in first quarter

Bears will start at their own 28 where Matt Forte breaks off a long run to the Arizona 36.


:37 left in first quarter

Cardinals put together a drive, complete with catches by Larry Fitzgerald! However, just when it appears they might do something real good a holding penalty on Nate Potter pushes them back. Arizona settles for a 49-yard Jay Feely field goal.

7-3 Bears.


5:25 left in first quarter

Cardinals force a three-and-out with help of another Calais Campbell sack. Punt is a good one and Greg Toler, who was in there to block, instead gets pushed into and over Patrick Peterson who remained on the ground for a few minutes.

He seems to be OK though, maybe just surprised to be hit? Offense takes over at the 21.


6:23 left in first quarter

Cardinals catch a break when a pass interference negates a Lindley pick, but the drive ends with a sack and a punt ensues.

Bears will start off on their own 16, and this pro-Bears crowd seems to be finding some energy.


8:47 left in first quarter

Hyphen returns the kick 17 yards to the Arizona 17. Oops.

Lindley and the offense back on the field.


8:53 left in first quarter

The ruling on the field stands (even if Beanie Wells couldn’t) and the Bears take an early 7-0 lead.

Worth noting the Bears have now scored 31 points in this stadium, and not one of them have come courtesy of an offensive touchdown.


8:53 left in first quarter

A prophet I am not, but on second down Wells loses his footing, gets crushed and coughs up the football. Bears recover for a touchdown and chants of “Let’s Go Bears” ring out. Play is under review (as all scoring plays are).


9:18 left in first quarter

Excellent punt is downed on the four, and a Beanie Wells run on first down loses a yard. Great start to this drive.


9:44 left in first quarter

Call is reversed, and it’s now fourth and six from the Arizona 46. Cardinals D comes up with the stop — barely.


9:17 left in first quarter

Cutler airs it out to Brandon Marshall who makes what might be an incredible catch. He’s ruled down at the Arizona 14 but Ken Whisenhunt threw the challenge flag.


10:10 left in first quarter

Bears driving with the help of some Cardinals penalties and solid Matt Forte runs. Big 3rd and 6 for the visitors.


12:06 left in first quarter

Cardinals gain a first down on a pass to Larry Fitzgerald (yes, it happened), but then stall and pick up just four on a 3rd and 10. Devin Hester gets a nice return on the punt, and the Bears take over at their own 34.


15:00 left in first quarter

Bears win the toss and elect to kick. Cardinals offense will take the field first, so that’s fun.


10:00 until kickoff

About 10 minutes from kickoff and the stadium is starting to fill in some. You can expect a lot of Bears fans today.

Anyway, Cardinals’ inactives include QB John Skelton, who has probably seen his career in the desert come to a close. An interesting and disappointing run for a fifth-round pick.

The move makes Brian Hoyer Ryan Lindley’s backup, and I’d be shocked if the new guy didn’t get some snaps today.

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