Roy Lopez is not surprised that the Cardinals are in first place in the NFC West. The defensive lineman has felt convicted from the beginning.
“I said during Week 1, after we lost and everybody looked at me crazy, was that we’re proving ourselves right,” Lopez said. “We feel like we’re playing good ball, and the football Gods reward you with good ball when you stick to the process and stick to your routine every single week.”
This week, the Cardinals host the Bears on Sunday. A game that features two teams who’ve gone through the week feeling each side of the glory and agony of late-game heroics.
The Cardinals finished October with a 3-1 record, with all three victories late and the last two on the game’s final play. The Bears, meanwhile, suffered one of the most difficult losses in recent memory, falling to the Commanders on a Hail Mary last weekend.
“You’re furious that you lost and you lost in that way,” Bears quarterback Caleb Williams said. “We have to focus on going out here and winning this game right now. We had our 24-hour period to feel how we felt but we have to move on.”
Lopez, who hopes to play despite an ankle injury, said he believes the Bears have veterans that’ll help them refocus. It’s one of the many reasons why the Cardinals aren’t taking their opponent lightly.
“At the end of the day, you need to have that 1-0 mentality,” safety Budda Baker said. “I try to encourage the guys to understand that we separate ourselves on how we prepare throughout the week.”
