by Sports Xchange

"I don't want to make too much of that at all," he said. "We were both still on the field. I haven't seen the film yet, but it seemed like Nick had a great game. The coaches' idea is to keep the players out there that they think can help them win, and Nick is definitely one of those guys. Obviously we had Cleveland kind of on the run on that side of the ball, so good things happened."

The Bears allowed a season-low 191 total yards and forced a season-high five turnovers.

PLAYER NOTES

--WR Devin Hester (ankle) was listed as questionable after returning to limited practice Friday.

--WR Johnny Knox would move into a starting role if Devin Hester (ankle) can't play Sunday. Knox, a fifth-round rookie from Abilene Christian is third on the team with 310 receiving yards on 24 catches.

--DT Tommie Harris (knee) was a full participant at Thursday's practice after being limited on Wednesday.

--CB Charles Tillman is likely to have primary responsibility for Larry Fitzgerald on Sunday. He leads the Bears with two interceptions, and is tied for the team lead with two forced fumbles.

--WR Earl Bennett, who is second on the team with 25 catches and 334 receiving yards, would replace Devin Hester (ankle) as the No. 1 punt returner. Bennett has averaged 15.8 yards on four punt returns this season.

--OG Josh Beekman is expected to get his second straight start at left guard after replacing Frank Omiyale, who started the first six games.

--RB Adrian Peterson (sprained knee), who played just on special teams last week, is expected to be available on offense this week.

GAME PLAN: The Bears are paying lip service to the old "We have to stop the run first" adage, but they know Job One is getting pressure on Cardinals QB Kurt Warner who tossed five picks last week. If Warner is given even a fair amount of time, the Bears do not have nearly enough defensive backs to control the Cardinals' frequent three- and four-WR sets.

Based on the Cardinals' yield of 270 rushing yards, this would appear to be an opportune time for the Bears to get their sluggish running game going, especially after last week's 170-yard effort, including 90 yards from Matt Forte, who is off to a slow start.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald, who is third in the NFL with 47 receptions, including a league-best 25 in the past three weeks, vs. Bears CB Charles Tillman, who had major problems with Chad Ochocinco in Week 7 but contained Calvin Johnson in Week 4 and Roddy White in Week 6. Tillman leads the Bears with two interceptions, including one last week that he returned 21 yards for a touchdown.

Bears DRE Alex Brown, who had the team's only sack last week and is second on the team with 3.5 sacks, vs. Cardinals OLT Mike Gandy, a Bears teammate of Brown's from 2002-05.

Bears six-time Pro Bowl C Olin Kreutz vs. Cardinals NT Bryan Robinson, who was a teammate on the Bears from 1998-2003. Kreutz and the Bears guards had trouble with the Browns' NT Shaun Rogers last week, but Robinson is not a true nose tackle in the mold of the massive Rogers.

INJURY IMPACT: The ankle injury that briefly knocked Devin Hester out of last Sunday's game may be a bit more serious than first thought. Hester did not practice at all on Wednesday, but he's expected to play Sunday and got in some limited work Friday.