Chicago Bears vs. Arizona Cardinals: Week 9 Players to Watch

The NFL season is an evolving state of affairs. So much can and does change from week to week. Teams, schemes, foolish play calls, and player's health all factor into performances on any given Sunday.

In this weekly series, I'll be featuring one player from each team on each side of the ball who I figure to be integral to their respective teams' success. You won't see any QBs as they are, in my opinion, the most critical position in all of sports and, thereby, an obvious choice. You also won't see any star defensive players like Micah Parsons and Nick Bosa. Again, too obvious.

No, these are more of the unsung variety. Yet, often just as critical to the success of the team.

Let's get started with the Chicago Bears .

Offense: Cole Kmet, TE - One of the themes of our 3-game win streak weeks 4-6 was the involvement of Tight End, Cole Kmet. He wasn't necessarily targeted too much, but his plays were effective and 'chunky' with at least one catch of 20 plus yards in each game and the only games all year he has had a catch of 20 yards or more. After his breakout performance in London against the Jags where he secured all 5 targets for 70 yards and two TD's, Kmet was only targeted one time in the week 8 loss to the Commanders. Once. You would think averaging 31.6 points the three weeks prior would encourage Shane Waldron to continue working in his TE, but alas, here we are. If Caleb can find Cole early to help soften the D and take pressure off the receivers, and run game whilst getting our rookie QB in rhythm, I believe we can once again reach 30+ points in the desert. If not, hopefully, that means he is helping our running game accumulate 200+ yards in a slugfest victory, but I fear we may not be able to keep up with the potent Cardinals offense without our Notre Dame product involved in the passing game more.

Defense: Gervon Dexter Sr. - Big Dex has been the breakout player for the 2024 Bears as he leads the team in sacks (4), which is all the more impressive considering it's coming from the DT spot. After netting only 2.5 sacks last year as a rookie, Gervon has been a notable playmaker for these Monsters. More notable is the drop-off in play when he is not in the game, as we saw last week in the loss to the Commanders when the Bears DL resembled a wet paper bag more so than actual defense. Dex is key in both the run and pass games and will be key this week against an average, at best, iOL for the Arizona Cardinals . If he can apply pressure up front, make Kyler scramble out of the pocket, and get his hands on a few passes at the LOS, I expect him to help end some drives early for the Cardinals and get the ball back into the hands of our playmakers on offense. If he struggles to make an impact, I expect James Connor (the engine of that Cardinals offense) to grind out some tough yards and keep giving the Cardinals a good chance to win at home.

Offense: Trey McBride, TE - Sticking with TE here for the Cardinals. James Connor may be the gritty engine of this offense. Marvin Harrison Jr. may be the big play, flashy element. But Trey McBride is the glue that brings it all together. Many people expected a breakout season for the former Colorado State Ram. After securing 81 catches on 106 targets a year ago, expectations were huge for the 6'4", 246lb stud athlete. While this season hasn't quite gone the way he (or his fantasy managers) have envisioned, he seems primed for that breakout this week after his best performance of the season last week against the Dolphins , where he had 9 catches for 124 yards. To put that into perspective, our own Cole Kmet has only gained more than 100 once, and that was last year against the Cardinals when he had 107. This is McBride's 3rd season, and I expect the Cardinals to build off that performance, especially with Jaquan Brisker out once again and Kyler Gordon hobbled. If the Bears D can slow down the connection between Kyler and McBride, it should handicap their offense and take away a key weapon. But if he can eat or, even worse, if he scores his first TD of the year, this could become a shootout in the desert.

Defense: Budda Baker, S - If you have been following this series at all, you will have noticed that I typically well choose a defensive lineman from our opponent's squad, mostly because the Bears offensive line is the weakest part of our offense. Had this year's first-round defensive lineman from Missouri, Darius Robinson played, he would be the selection, but since he is not (Thank Ditka!), I will go to a seldom selected position for a Bears opponent, Safety. All Pro Budda Baker might lack in the height/weight category, but he more than makes up for it with his instincts and tenacity. He is also plenty fast and quick enough to mirror receivers in the passing game or track down running backs in the run game. Baker is a one-man wrecking crew for Arizona, and if the Cardinals want any chance of slowing down the Bears offense, Baker will need to have a big game. If Caleb and crew can avoid turning it over to Baker or letting him end too many drives without points, the Bears should coast to a comfortable lead and never look back. If he shows up for the home team in Glendale, AZ, and makes some impact plays, this could be the beginning of the end for Flus and Co.

Recap from Week 8:

Bears O - Rome Odunze, WR: Second on the team in targets with 6, Rome led the Bears with just 41 yards receiving on 3 catches. Evidence of the day the entire offense had.

Bears D - Kevin Byard, S: Byard struggled against the Commanders. Totaled only 2 solo tackles and no pass deflections or turnovers and was trucked by a TE while also being the back line of defense on the final game losing Hail Mary. He had arguably his worst game as a Bear.

Commies O - Tyler Biadasz, C: Biadasz set the tone early and throughout the game last week helping the Commanders to nearly 500 yards of total offense and even got into it with our beefy DT, Andrew Billings.

Commies D - Jer'Zhan Newton, DT: Newton had his best game as a pro with 1 sack, 1 TFL, 3 QBH and 1 pivotal FR.

What about you? Who are some key players to watch this week against the Cardinals?