Can an improving Chicago Bears defense provide an emphatic finish to the season? 12 numbers and nuggets for Week 16.

The Chicago Bears are headed for a Christmas Eve date with the Arizona Cardinals, looking to rebound after blowing a 10-point fourth-quarter lead in Sunday’s loss to the Cleveland Browns. The Bears’ status as “in the hunt” in the NFC playoff chase was promptly revoked after that collapse.

Now they must manufacture new motivation and energy to finish out another losing season. The Cardinals (3-11) are one of three teams worse than the Bears in the conference. That creates an opening this weekend for Matt Eberflus’ team to get back on track. To help set the stage, here are a dozen eye-catching numbers and nuggets.

24-23

Score of the Bears’ 2006 victory against the Cardinals on “Monday Night Football” in the now-iconic “The Bears are who we thought they were” game. The Bears trailed 23-3 late in the third quarter but somehow rallied to win without scoring an offensive touchdown. On a night during which quarterback Rex Grossman threw four interceptions, lost two fumbles and led only one scoring drive on 13 possessions, the Bears got fumble return touchdowns from Mike Brown and Charles Tillman plus a 83-yard go-ahead punt-return score from Devin Hester to win. Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher was credited by coaches with 25 tackles in the victory.

0

Points the Bears allowed in the third quarter in their last five games. They have allowed an average of 4.4 third-quarter points per game this season, and the defense hasn’t allowed a third-quarter touchdown since Week 5, when Sam Howell of the Washington Commanders hit Logan Thomas with a 2-yard pass in a game the Bears led 27-3 at the time. The Bears have been markedly worse in the fourth quarter, however, with opponents scoring 100 points, an average of 7.1 per game.

18

Bears interceptions this season, the team’s second highest total in the last 10 years. Twelve of those picks have come since Week 11, with Eddie Jackson, Tremaine Edmunds and Tyrique Stevenson adding to that total in Sunday’s loss in Cleveland. Jackson returned his interception to the 1-yard line to set up the Bears’ only offensive touchdown. Edmunds topped that, taking his takeaway 45 yards to the end zone to give the Bears a 14-7 lead.

1

Bears rank this season in run defense, up 30 spots from a season ago. The Bears are allowing 79.8 rushing yards per game, a 49.3% improvement from 2022. The Bears have held opponents below 60 rushing yards in six games but will face a tough task Sunday against a Cardinals team that ranks seventh in rushing offense (131.8 ypg). The Cardinals had a season-high 234 yards on the ground in Sunday’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

8-7

Bears record during Eberflus’ time as coach in games they were tied or led after three quarters. That includes a 5-4 mark this season with three losses in which the Bears led by 10 points or more in the fourth quarter. On the bright side, after devastating blown-lead losses to the Denver Broncos and Detroit Lions, the Bears regrouped with wins in their next game, downing the Commanders 40-20 in Week 5 and beating the Minnesota Vikings 12-10 in Week 12.

212

Fourth-quarter passing yards from Joe Flacco in the Browns’ come-from-behind win Sunday in Cleveland. Flacco, who had thrown three interceptions in the first three quarters, completed 11 of 13 passes in the fourth and had four completions for longer than 30 yards. His 34-yard strike to tight end David Njoku converted third-and-15 and pushed the Browns into field-goal range on their game-winning drive. Fields was 3-for-9 for 45 yards in the fourth quarter and has topped 212 passing yards in only nine games in his career.

55.3

Fields’ fourth-quarter passer rating this season, which ranks 32nd among quarterbacks with at least 50 fourth-quarter passing attempts. Fields is squeezed between Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky (62.7) and the Las Vegas Raiders’ Aidan O’Connell (52.2) in the category. Brock Purdy (122.9) is the league leader, followed by Tommy DeVito (102.9) and Justin Herbert (101.2). The top 15 cuts off at Geno Smith (91.9)

$159,797,000

Guaranteed money folded into the five-year, $230.5 million extension Kyler Murray signed with the Cardinals in the summer of 2022 as he was heading into his fifth season. A little more than 14 months earlier, the Cardinals exercised the fifth-year option on Murray’s rookie contract. Murray threw for 3,787 yards and 24 touchdowns while adding 423 rushing yards and five touchdowns in 2021, convincing the team to reward him with a lucrative second contract. Since signing that extension, the Cardinals are 5-11 with Murray as their starter. Murray has a 84.5 passer rating over the last two seasons.

4-4

The Bears record on Christmas Eve during the Super Bowl era, including last season’s 35-13 home loss to the Buffalo Bills. The Bears’ last Christmas Eve victory was a 20-3 blowout of the Cleveland Browns in Trubisky’s rookie season in 2017. Other games include a 41-21 loss to Washington at Soldier Field (2016); a 26-21 road defeat of the Lions (2006); a 23-20 defeat of the Lions in Detroit (2000); a 20-14 home win over the Philadelphia Eagles (1995); a 13-3 loss to the Patriots at Soldier Field (1994); and a 26-0 road loss the 49ers (1989).

66

Receptions this season by Bears tight end Cole Kmet and Cardinals tight end Trey McBride. Kmet has produced 571 yards and six touchdowns, including Sunday’s 5-yard score from Fields in Cleveland. McBride, who was a second-round pick out of Colorado State in 2022, has a team-best 712 yards and two scores.

3

Seasons spent coaching together in Indianapolis by Eberflus and Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon. The duo worked alongside one another from 2018-2020 with Eberflus as the Colts defensive coordinator and Gannon as the defensive backs coach. Gannon’s NFL start came as a quality control coach with the Atlanta Falcons (2007) before he spent three seasons as a scout in the Los Angeles Rams organization (2009-2011). Gannon was hired as Cardinals coach in February after serving as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator for the previous two seasons.

4

Bears players among the top 10 Pro Bowl vote getters at their respective positions from within fan balloting. Montez Sweat is sixth among defensive ends, Jaylon Johnson is eighth among cornerbacks, Kmet is No. 10 at tight end and Khari Blasingame is sixth at fullback. McBride (No. 9 at tight end) is the only Cardinals player in the top 10. Pro Bowl fan voting will conclude Monday. Players and coaches also will vote, and the NFC and AFC rosters will be announced Jan. 3.