GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The calendar is flipping to November and the Arizona Cardinals are right in the middle of the playoff race. Now quarterback Kyler Murray says the real football begins.
“I think teams kind of fizzle out and get complacent,” Murray said. “I think teams weed themselves out this time of year. A lot of games are lost more than they are won.
” The Cardinals (4-4) will try for a three-game winning streak when they host the Chicago Bears (4-3), who are also right in the middle of the playoff race with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. Arizona has won three of its past four games, all on fourth-quarter comebacks, and is tied with the 49ers and Seahawks atop the NFC West. Murray's been at this point in the schedule in good position before.
Back in 2021, the Cardinals looked like a Super Bowl-caliber team after winning their first seven games, but they closed the season with a 4-6 record and were quickly knocked out of the playoffs in the wild-card round by the Los Angeles Rams. “We’ve won early in the year,” Murray said. "Now we have to lock in these next couple months and really continue to get better and focus on what we have to focus on.
” The Bears are coming off a brutal 18-15 loss that ended on Washington's game-winning Hail Mary as time expired. The loss was even more tumultuous after cameras caught Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson motioning to the crowd and having his back turned when the Commanders snapped the ball on their winning pla.