CHICAGO -- The Bears opened their Christmas Eve showdown with the Arizona Cardinals at Soldier Field like a team that spent the whole week stewing over a fourth-quarter meltdown last Sunday in Cleveland.
They finished it by making the plays needed to avoid back-to-back catastrophic collapses.
The Bears scored on their first three possessions and led 21-0 midway through the second quarter. But the Cardinals slowly chipped away and cut the lead to eight in the fourth quarter.
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With wide receiver DJ Moore playing on an injured ankle and tight end Cole Kmet leaving the game with a knee injury, the Bears had to rely on their defense to put the Cardinals away.
A defense that Joe Flacco burned in the fourth quarter a week ago answered the bell, stopping the Cardinals on fourth-and-6 from their own 27 with three minutes remaining.
The Bears offense did the rest, salting the game away in a 27-16 win that moved the Bears to 6-9.
Quarterback Justin Fields went 15-for-27 for 170 yards, one touchdown, and one interception while totaling 97 yards and a score on the ground.
Bears Analysis
Here's what we learned in the Bears' 27-16 win vs. the Cardinals:
Khalil Herbert Reemerges
Herbert led the Bears' backfield for the first five weeks of the season before suffering an ankle injury in Week 5. The third-year back has looked a touch slow since returning, but head coach Matt Eberflus was adamant Friday that Herbert had a good week of practice and the burst was there.
With D'Onta Foreman inactive due to a personal matter, Herbert got the nod as the starting back against the Cardinals and made Eberflus' Friday statement ring true.
Herbert looked fresh and quick Sunday, gashing a Cardinals defense that lacks the playmakers needed to get consistent stops.
Through just over one quarter, Herbert had 59 yards on seven carries, including an 11-yard touchdown run that put the Bears up 14-0 early in the second quarter.
Herbert rushed for 62 yards on eight carries in the first half and finished with 109 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.
Christmas Eve Connection Cut Short
After a Sunday of tough sledding in Cleveland last week, the Bears' passing attack talked about taking more shots down the field all week.
Tight end Cole Kmet was the beneficiary of those shot plays during the first half.
Fields and Kmet linked up four times in the first half for 107 yards, including gains of 53, 29, and 20 yards.
The 53-yard pass set up the Bears' first touchdown of the game -- a 3-yard run by Fields. The 29-yard hook-up, the product of a well-designed play by offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, set up a 1-yard touchdown pass from Fields to Marcedes Lewis to make it 21-0.
Kmet took a hit to the knee on the 29-yard catch and did not return to the game.
Fields had a solid start to the game, including some nice throws on deep shots to Kmet.
The passing attack stalled in the second half. An absent Kmet and banged-up DJ Moore meant Fields had reliable targets to lean on, and his fourth-quarter interception in the end zone was an inexcusable turnover.
Fields had a subpar day as a passer, but he shined with his legs. The third-year quarterback rushed for 97 yards on nine carries, his second-best rushing output of the season.
No Let Up
One week ago, the Bears' defense suffocated the Browns for 55 minutes before giving up crucial explosive plays in a late-game meltdown.
On Sunday, the Bears' defense finished the job.
The Bears held the Cardinals to 134 yards and seven points in the first half. The defensive line did a good job pressuring and containing Kyler Murray, while the defensive backs were sticky in coverage against an Arizona arsenal that was missing Marquise Brown.
Last week, the Bears' defense didn't finish the game the way they wanted. They gave Joe Flacco a small opening, and the veteran quarterback burned them.
They didn't make the same mistake Sunday against the Cardinals.
The Bears led 21-7 at halftime and held the Cardinals to nine points and 142 yards in the second half.
There was a worry that the Bears might let go of the rope after the heartbreaking loss to the Browns.
That didn't happen.
The Bears' defense will rue the 75-yard touchdown drive they gave up in the fourth quarter, including a critical penalty on Jaquan Brisker and poor tackling on Greg Dortch's 39-yard touchdown catch.
But just when it looked like the Bears were going crumble late, the defense stood tall on the critical drive, with rookie cornerback Terell Smith forcing back-to-back incompletions on third and fourth down to effectively end the game.
The Bears still have a lot of work to do in their rebuild. But general manager Ryan Poles might not have been far off when he said he felt the defense was "near elite." Outside of late-game breakdowns against the Lions and the Browns, the Bears' defense has been playing at a high level for the last six weeks.
That continued Sunday evening as they once again flashed the elite potential that should have Poles, Eberflus, and Bears fans excited about what this unit can become.