The Bears were hoping to be at a high level at this point in the season, ideally having established a lead and credibility before tackling the grueling second half of their schedule. Instead, they find themselves at their lowest point of the season after the Cardinals beat them 29-9 on Sunday.

“We’re back in first place,” said left-back Teven Jenkins. “There are nine games left and they will all be dogfights.”

Square one? In November? Yikes.

Here's a look at the biggest issues arising from the Cardinals' play:

Williams stops

Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams hasn't made the strides needed to lead this team against top opponents, and there's little evidence that coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron are the right choices to help him do so to get there. Williams completed 22 of 41 passes for 216 yards and a passer rating of 68.8 and was sacked six times.

Meltdown in the middle of the game

Believe it or not, the Bears were perfectly positioned to take control of the game late in the first half. They pulled ahead 14-9 with 26 seconds left and were ready to get the ball out of halftime and have a chance to take the lead. They then surrendered a 53-yard touchdown run to third-string running back Emari Demercado and remained scoreless in the third quarter.

Eberflus problems

The loss dropped Eberflus to 14-28 overall and 3-18 away in his three seasons with the Bears. There have been few smooth spells under his leadership, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to imagine the team bringing him back next season.

A week after being surprised by a Hail Mary touchdown pass, the Bears' defense suffered another inexplicable mistake – allowing Cardinals backup running back Emari Demercado to score 53 with four seconds left in the first half -yard touchdown rush past them.

From Mark Potash

The Bears are 4-4 while the rest of the NFC North is well above .500, and their remaining schedule is the toughest in the league. These playoff dreams are a fantasy.

From Jason Lieser

Stevenson was benched after his Hail Mary gaffe but played most of Sunday's game due to injury.

From Patrick Finley