Chicago Bears vs. Arizona Cardinals: 2018 Week 3 Recap

Game story

In Week 3 of the 2018 NFL season on 2018-09-23, the Chicago Bears took care of business against the Arizona Cardinals, pulling away with a 16–14 final that came down to the wire.

The highest-scoring period was Q1 with 14 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

M. Trubisky (Chicago Bears) paced the passing game, with -3.14 total EPA, and +0.9% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, C. Kirk (Arizona Cardinals) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +4.51 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (-30.3% win probability) landed in the fourth quarter when Arizona Cardinals changed the game: (1:16) (Shotgun) 3-J.Rosen pass short right intended for 13-C.Kirk INTERCEPTED by 37-B.Callahan [95-R.Robertson-Harris] at CHI 32. 37-B.Callahan to CHI 32 for no gain (13-C.Kirk).

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 C. Kirk · Arizona Cardinals · Receiving · +4.51 total EPA · 8 snaps · +0.56 EPA/play
2. 2 T. Cohen · Chicago Bears · Rushing · +4.47 total EPA · 5 snaps · +0.89 EPA/play
3. 3 A. Miller · Chicago Bears · Receiving · +2.97 total EPA · 5 snaps · +0.59 EPA/play
4. 4 J. Howard · Chicago Bears · Receiving · +2.91 total EPA · 2 snaps · +1.46 EPA/play
5. 5 T. Burton · Chicago Bears · Receiving · +2.33 total EPA · 5 snaps · +0.47 EPA/play
6. 6 D. Johnson · Arizona Cardinals · Receiving · +1.76 total EPA · 4 snaps · +0.44 EPA/play
7. 7 A.Robinson II · Chicago Bears · Receiving · +1.59 total EPA · 7 snaps · +0.23 EPA/play
8. 8 R. Seals-Jones · Arizona Cardinals · Receiving · +0.95 total EPA · 3 snaps · +0.32 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• Arizona Cardinals — R. Seals-Jones (S. Bradford pass) (Q1 57:20)
• Arizona Cardinals — D. Johnson (S. Bradford pass) (Q1 46:46)
• Chicago Bears — J. Howard (Q3 21:21)

Field goals

• Chicago Bears — C. Parkey (Q2 31:57)
• Chicago Bears — C. Parkey (Q3 15:49)
• Chicago Bears — C. Parkey (Q4 4:34)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: Arizona Cardinals won the period 14–0. Arizona Cardinals found the end zone from the CHI 35 (Q1 57:20) — (12:20) 9-S.Bradford pass deep left to 86-R.Seals-Jones for 35 yards, TOUCHDOWN [96-A.Hicks].; Arizona Cardinals added 1 points from the CHI 15 (Q1 57:12) — 4-P.Dawson extra point is GOOD, Center-46-A.Brewer, Holder-2-A.Lee.; Arizona Cardinals found the end zone from the CHI 21 (Q1 46:46) — (1:46) (Shotgun) 9-S.Bradford pass deep right to 31-D.Johnson for 21 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Arizona Cardinals added 1 points from the CHI 15 (Q1 46:40) — 4-P.Dawson extra point is GOOD, Center-46-A.Brewer, Holder-2-A.Lee..

The second quarter: Chicago Bears won the period 3–0. Chicago Bears connected on a field goal from the ARI 2 (Q2 31:57) — (1:57) 1-C.Parkey 20 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-P.Scales, Holder-16-P.O'Donnell..

The third quarter: Chicago Bears won the period 10–0. Chicago Bears found the end zone from the ARI 1 (Q3 21:21) — (6:21) 24-J.Howard up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.; Chicago Bears added 1 points from the ARI 15 (Q3 21:16) — 1-C.Parkey extra point is GOOD, Center-48-P.Scales, Holder-16-P.O'Donnell.; Chicago Bears connected on a field goal from the ARI 23 (Q3 15:49) — (:49) 1-C.Parkey 41 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-P.Scales, Holder-16-P.O'Donnell..

The fourth quarter: Chicago Bears won the period 3–0. Chicago Bears connected on a field goal from the ARI 25 (Q4 4:34) — (4:34) 1-C.Parkey 43 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-P.Scales, Holder-16-P.O'Donnell..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• Arizona Cardinals (Q4 1:16) — (1:16) (Shotgun) 3-J.Rosen pass short right intended for 13-C.Kirk INTERCEPTED by 37-B.Callahan [95-R.Robertson-Harris] at CHI 32. 37-B.Callahan to CHI 32 for no gain (13-C.Kirk). [WPA -30.3% · EPA -1.76]
• Arizona Cardinals (Q4 0:05) — (:05) (Shotgun) 3-J.Rosen sacked at ARI 39 for -7 yards (27-S.McManis). [WPA -27.9% · EPA -0.23]
• Arizona Cardinals (Q4 11:33) — (11:33) (Shotgun) 9-S.Bradford sacked at CHI 21 for 0 yards (52-K.Mack). FUMBLES (52-K.Mack) [52-K.Mack], RECOVERED by CHI-59-D.Trevathan at CHI 16. 59-D.Trevathan to CHI 16 for no gain (64-M.Cole). [WPA -18.3% · EPA -4.64]
• Chicago Bears (Q4 0:55) — (:55) 16-P.O'Donnell punts 48 yards to ARI 13, Center-48-P.Scales. 21-P.Peterson pushed ob at ARI 20 for 7 yards (93-S.Acho). [WPA -16.5% · EPA -0.26]
• Arizona Cardinals (Q4 2:00) — (2:00) 29-C.Edmonds up the middle to CHI 45 for -3 yards (98-B.Nichols). [WPA -12.9% · EPA -1.47]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• Chicago Bears (Q1 46:53) — (1:53) (Shotgun) 10-M.Trubisky sacked at CHI 19 for -8 yards (90-R.Nkemdiche). FUMBLES (90-R.Nkemdiche), RECOVERED by ARI-98-C.Peters at CHI 21. 98-C.Peters to CHI 21 for no gain (72-C.Leno Jr). [WPA -8.7% · EPA -4.78]
• Arizona Cardinals (Q4 11:33) — (11:33) (Shotgun) 9-S.Bradford sacked at CHI 21 for 0 yards (52-K.Mack). FUMBLES (52-K.Mack) [52-K.Mack], RECOVERED by CHI-59-D.Trevathan at CHI 16. 59-D.Trevathan to CHI 16 for no gain (64-M.Cole). [WPA -18.3% · EPA -4.64]
• Chicago Bears (Q1 49:59) — (4:59) 1-C.Parkey 46 yard field goal is No Good, Wide Right, Center-48-P.Scales, Holder-16-P.O'Donnell. [WPA -7.8% · EPA -4.24]
• Chicago Bears (Q2 31:06) — (1:06) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 10-M.Trubisky pass short left intended for 30-B.Cunningham INTERCEPTED by 33-T.Boston (55-C.Jones) at CHI 34. 33-T.Boston to CHI 34 for no gain (30-B.Cunningham). [WPA -6.8% · EPA -3.70]

Quarterback report card

M.Trubisky led all passers in efficiency for Chicago Bears, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• M.Trubisky (Chicago Bears) · 45 dropbacks · 53.3% completion · +0.9% CPOE · -0.07 EPA/play · -3.14 total EPA
• S.Bradford (Arizona Cardinals) · 22 dropbacks · 59.1% completion · +1.8% CPOE · -0.19 EPA/play · -4.12 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Despite the final score, Chicago Bears generated the better offensive EPA per play (-0.09 vs -0.20), suggesting they moved the ball more efficiently.

• Arizona Cardinals: 11 drives, -13.16 total EPA, 2 scoring drives
• Chicago Bears: 11 drives, -7.50 total EPA, 4 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• Chicago Bears leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• One-score margin — fantasy managers should double-check garbage-time stats before drawing conclusions.
• C. Kirk (Arizona Cardinals) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. Arizona Cardinals TD (+6) — Q1 57:20 · CHI 35 · Score 0-6
   (12:20) 9-S.Bradford pass deep left to 86-R.Seals-Jones for 35 yards, TOUCHDOWN [96-A.Hicks].
2. Arizona Cardinals XP (+1) — Q1 57:12 · CHI 15 · Score 0-7
   4-P.Dawson extra point is GOOD, Center-46-A.Brewer, Holder-2-A.Lee.
3. Arizona Cardinals TD (+6) — Q1 46:46 · CHI 21 · Score 0-13
   (1:46) (Shotgun) 9-S.Bradford pass deep right to 31-D.Johnson for 21 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
4. Arizona Cardinals XP (+1) — Q1 46:40 · CHI 15 · Score 0-14
   4-P.Dawson extra point is GOOD, Center-46-A.Brewer, Holder-2-A.Lee.
5. Chicago Bears FG (+3) — Q2 31:57 · ARI 2 · Score 3-14
   (1:57) 1-C.Parkey 20 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-P.Scales, Holder-16-P.O'Donnell.
6. Chicago Bears TD (+6) — Q3 21:21 · ARI 1 · Score 9-14
   (6:21) 24-J.Howard up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
7. Chicago Bears XP (+1) — Q3 21:16 · ARI 15 · Score 10-14
   1-C.Parkey extra point is GOOD, Center-48-P.Scales, Holder-16-P.O'Donnell.
8. Chicago Bears FG (+3) — Q3 15:49 · ARI 23 · Score 13-14
   (:49) 1-C.Parkey 41 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-P.Scales, Holder-16-P.O'Donnell.
9. Chicago Bears FG (+3) — Q4 4:34 · ARI 25 · Score 16-14
   (4:34) 1-C.Parkey 43 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-48-P.Scales, Holder-16-P.O'Donnell.