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Player who must step up: OL Josh Jones

The former third-round pick is the backup at both right guard and right tackle during a season in which he should have been starting at one or the other. If Jones doesn't prove himself over the rest of the campaign, there's a chance he might not be in the mix next year, especially with how well both RG Max Garcia and RT Kelvin Beachum have played. With how valuable quarterback Kyler Murray is, Jones needs to be as good as he possibly can to keep Murray healthy whenever the lineman gets his chance. -- Josh Weinfuss

Kyler Murray returned to action on Sunday and looked like the all-around menace to defenses that he was before an ankle injury put him on the shelf for a month. Murray threw two touchdown passes and rushed for two more in a blowout win over the Bears, showing no limitations in mobility. DeAndre Hopkins -- also back in the lineup after an extended absence -- was the recipient of Murray's first touchdown pass, making Week 13 pretty much a perfect reintroduction for the Cardinals as they came out of their bye week. A win over the Rams next Monday night would put Arizona in the driver's seat for both the NFC West title and the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

Kyler Murray came back from injury and played well against the Bears. This team is legitimate, even if they don't get a lot of attention.

Arizona was a combined 5-11 in the second half of its first two seasons under coach Kliff Kingsbury. The Cards are 2-1 since Week 9 this year.

Best-case scenario: Yes, it was against the struggling Bears. But the Cardinals -- despite playing in crummy conditions in Chicago -- reminded the rest of the league how dangerous they can be when all of their offensive weapons are healthy. Kyler Murray returned to run for two touchdowns and pass for two more -- one of which went to DeAndre Hopkins, who was also back in the lineup. Ideally for Arizona, Murray and Hopkins fine-tune their timing and the Cardinals can wrap up the No. 1 seed in the NFC by taking care of business down the stretch. It won't be easy: The Cards have tough games left against the Rams, Colts and Cowboys.