NFL Recap (Chicago-Arizona)
Posted: Sun October 11, 1998 at 9:35 p.m. EDT
ARIZONA 20, CHICAGO 7
TEMPE, Arizona (Ticker) -- Mario Bates scored on a
pair of two-yard runs and linebacker Ronald McKinnon had three
interceptions as the Arizona Cardinals
forced eight turnovers and defeated the Chicago Bears, 20-7 in the
oldest regular-season rivalry in NFL history.
Bates' first touchdown increased the Cardinals' lead to 10-0 with 1:53
remaining in the first half. On the ensuing kickoff, Bates forced a fumble
by Glyn Milburn. Four
plays later, Bates scored his second TD to give the Cardinals a 17-0
halftime advantage. He finished with just three carries for seven yards.
"It was nice to finally touch the ball," Bates said. "Every running
back wants to handle the ball once or twice. I got my chance today and the
whole running back corps did a great job. That's what it takes to win."
Jack Del Rio was the last linebacker to register three interceptions
in a game, accomplishing the feat for Minnesota December 5, 1993 against
Detroit.
"It was just one of those days," McKinnon said "The defensive line
and the defensive backs played great. Every day we stress getting the
ball. Whether it's a forced fumble or an interception, we just try to get
the ball."
The Cardinals limited the Bears to 66 yards rushing. Chicago
quarterback Erik Kramer
was 16-of-28 for 247 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions.
Kramer accounted for 647 yards with six touchdowns and just one
interception in his previous two games.
"Turnovers were the difference in the ballgame," Bears coach Dave
Wannstedt said. "If our defense wasn't playing like they were, they could
have scored 70 points. When you block well and turn the ball over eight
times, that's not giving yourself a chance. We didn't play as well as we
could have and that's the most disheartening thing."
Cornerback Aeneas
Williams recorded the other interception. It was the 39th of his
career, moving him one behind Roger Wehrli for second on the Cadrdinals'
all-time list.
"It all starts with the guys up front," Williams said. "They are doing
a tremendous job of causing all types of havoc."
Arizona had problems of their own holding on to the ball. Jake Plummer threw a pair
of interceptions and the Cardinals fumbled five times, losing four.
"It wasn't a real pretty game executionwise on either side of the
ball," Arizona coach Vince Tobin said. "There were a lot of turnovers, but
there was also a lot of hard hitting and a lot of emotion on both sides of
the field."
Plummer completed 18-of-25 passes for 157 yards. Eight different
receivers caught passes for the Cardinals.
The win kept the Cardinals (3-3) one game behind first-place Dallas in
the NFC East. It matched their second-best six-game start since they moved
to Arizona in 1988. The Bears slipped to 1-5.
"In every aspect of the defense, everyone worked really hard and
stepped up and made the big plays," Arizona defensive tackle Eric Swann said.
Joe Nedney kicked
a career-best 49-yard field goal in the first quarter for Arizona. He
added a 40-yarder in the fourth quarter.
Bates' first score capped a short five-play, 29-yard drive that took
1:59 and made the score 10-0. It was his first play from scrimmage this
season.
"It was a long time coming, but it was worth the wait," Bates said.
"The coaches kept telling me to wait and be patient. Today, being patient
finally paid off."
Chicago got on the board with 2:30 left to play when Kramer hit Bobby Engram with a
79-yard touchdown pass. Engram finished with five catches for 142 yards.
The Bears lead the all-time series, 54-26-6, but the Cardinals hold a
5-4 edge in the last nine meetings of the rivalry which dates back to the
1920s when the two shared the Windy City.
Adrian Murrell
paced the Cardinals ground game with 67 yards on 21 carries and Michael Pittman
contributed 57 yards on 17 rushes.
Curtis Conway
caught six passes for 54 yards for the Bears. Chicago struggled on the
ground with Edgar
Bennett and Curtis
Enis combining for just 55 yards on 20 carries.
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