Cardinals run their way to 21-9 halftime lead over Bears

The Bears looked like they might make it to halftime with a five-point deficit, but their leaky run defense cost them one more time.

Cairo Santos's third field goal of the first half made it 14-9 with 26 seconds left to play, but running back Emari Demercado sprinted 53 yards for a touchdown with four seconds left in the half. He was the third player to run for a touchdown in the first half and the Cardinals have a 21-9 lead as a result.

Tight end Trey McBride and running back Trey Benson have the other touchdowns, but running back James Conner has done most of the heavy lifting. He has 11 carries for 73 yards and the Cardinals have rolled up 148 rushing yards on Sunday.

All that running has been matched by a defense that has bent without breaking. The Bears made it into Arizona territory four times, but they held for three field goals and a sack by Xavier Thomas and L.J. Collier forced a punt on the fourth drive into Cardinals country.

Caleb Williams is 11-of-24 for 137 yards and has had a couple of passes dropped when he's had time to deliver crisp throws from the pocket. The Bears will get the ball coming out of the break and they'll need to find a better offensive formula if they're going to pull out a road win on Sunday.