Chicago
Bears
0-0
16
FINAL
31
Arizona
Cardinals
0-0
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling opener for the 2028 season, the Arizona Cardinals defeated the Chicago Bears 31-16, sending a strong message to the league. Both teams entered the contest looking to establish early momentum, but the Cardinals showcased their offensive firepower and defensive tenacity to secure the win.
Patrick Mahomes led the charge for Arizona, throwing for an impressive 307 passing yards and contributing significantly to their scoring efforts. Davante Adams was a standout in the receiving game, racking up 116 yards and proving to be a reliable target for Mahomes. Jeremiyah Love added a solid ground game, rushing for 66 yards to keep the Bears' defense on their heels.
On the defensive side, the Cardinals applied pressure with Josh Sweat recording a pivotal sack that disrupted the Bears' momentum at a crucial moment. Tyrique Stevenson of Chicago was busy on defense, leading his team with 10 total tackles, but it was the Cardinals' ability to capitalize on key plays that ultimately defined the game. The turning point came in the second quarter when Arizona scored back-to-back touchdowns, giving them a commanding lead that the Bears could not overcome.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Mahomes | QB | 41 | 25 | 61% | 307 | 1 | 0 | 92.2 |
| Caleb Williams | QB | 39 | 26 | 67% | 228 | 1 | 0 | 90.5 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremiyah Love | HB | 16 | 66 | 4.1 | 13 | 1 | 15 | 0 |
| Caleb Williams | QB | 6 | 58 | 9.7 | 36 | 0 | 41 | 0 |
| Tyler Allgeier | HB | 7 | 41 | 5.9 | 6 | 1 | 14 | 0 |
| D'Andre Swift | HB | 8 | 23 | 2.9 | 13 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Patrick Mahomes | QB | 5 | 12 | 2.4 | — | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Zavion Thomas | WR | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Rome Odunze | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mitchell Evans | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josh Downs | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trey McBride | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Colston Loveland | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davante Adams | WR | 10 | 116 | 11.6 | 17 | 0 | 24 | 1 |
| Rome Odunze | WR | 7 | 100 | 14.3 | 30 | 1 | 30 | 0 |
| Josh Downs | WR | 3 | 70 | 23.3 | 55 | 1 | 59 | 1 |
| Trey McBride | TE | 5 | 50 | 10.0 | 16 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Colston Loveland | TE | 6 | 50 | 8.3 | 21 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| D'Andre Swift | HB | 7 | 29 | 4.1 | 28 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| Michael Wilson | WR | 2 | 29 | 14.5 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 1 |
| Zavion Thomas | WR | 3 | 23 | 7.7 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 1 |
| Ryan Williams | WR | 2 | 22 | 11.0 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Tyler Allgeier | HB | 1 | 18 | 18.0 | 5 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Mitchell Evans | TE | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 11 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Troy Franklin | WR | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Sam Roush | TE | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Jeremiyah Love | HB | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyrique Stevenson | CB | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mack Wilson Sr | MIKE | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Isaiah Bolden | CB | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Dillon Thieneman | FS | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| DJ Pickett | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ruben Hyppolite II | SAM | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josh Sweat | REDG | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Budda Baker | SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Deommodore Lenoir | CB | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Coby Bryant | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaleb Proctor | DT | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Devin Bush | MIKE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Malik Muhammad | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dadrion Taylor-Demerson | FS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Byron Murphy Jr | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Walter Nolen III | DT | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Montez Sweat | LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AJ Holmes Jr | DT | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chase Young | REDG | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamin Davis | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shemar Turner | REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CJ West | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bobby Brown III | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Bolton | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyler Gordon | CB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Dylan Stewart | LEDG | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joey Slye | K | 3 | 4 | 1 | 52 |
| Ryan Stonehouse | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alejandro Bautista | K | 1 | 1 | 4 | 56 |

