Here's a smidge of what Phil Simms had to say about the Bears/Cards tilt this past Monday (find the full story here):
Like everyone else, I’m a genius after the fact…In this case, I’m referring to the outcome of the Monday night game between Chicago and Arizona. Having seen the Bears in person two weeks ago, I was right there with every other football analyst in declaring them the best team in the NFL. But in retrospect, as I watched the pre-game warm-ups Monday and heard commentary on TV, it reminded me a lot of the Monday night Falcons-Saints game in Week 3…Just as in that game, there were so many emotional factors in favor of the home team. If you spend enough time telling anyone how inferior they are to everyone else, that can provide all the incentive in the world. I’m not just talking about football players or pro athletes in general. This applies to anyone in society…Here was Arizona, a young team with a rookie quarterback, trying to establish itself at home – in a brand new stadium with a fired-up crowd. With so many transplanted Chicagoans in Arizona, there had been a push for those Bears fans trying to get tickets for this game – just another reason for the hometown fans to be fired up...The Bears might still be the best team in the NFL, but everything came together for Arizona Monday night and the Cardinals almost held on to win.
--JBF