On their next possession, the Cardinals were forced to punt. Hester caught the ball, broke a few arm tackles and weaved around hapless defenders as he sprinted upfield, scoring his second punt return for a touchdown this season and giving Chicago the lead for the first time all night.

In addition to his four picks, Grossman fumbled the ball away twice and struggled to hit receivers when he did manage to get the ball cleanly away, going 14-for-37 for 148 yards. With their offense suddenly punchless, the Bears’ defense provided the points.

The first came when defensive end Mark Anderson broke through untouched and blindsided Leinart, forcing a fumble that Mike Brown returned 3 yards for a touchdown that cut the lead to 23-10 with two seconds left in the third quarter.

Chicago entered the game with five turnovers in five games, 10 fewer than their foes. But it was evident early that this would be a frightful night with the roof open for the first time in Arizona’s extravagant new stadium.

“In the NFL, when you have six turnovers, you lose,” Bears defensive end Alex Brown said. “If you’re fortunate enough to win, somebody upstairs is looking out for you.”

Four of the turnovers helped the Cardinals to a 20-0 halftime lead in Arizona’s first Monday night appearance since 1999.

“We have a lot of character in that locker room,” Smith said. “We just got together at halftime and just said ‘We’re not going to go out like that. We’re a lot better football team.”’

The Bears steamrolled into town with a fierce defense and an efficient offense that had blown out Seattle and Buffalo by a combined 77-13 score their previous two games.

But Leinart, in his second NFL start, ran the offense with precision and poise at the start, becoming the first rookie to throw a pair of first-quarter TD passes in his first two starts. This time, he did it without Pro Bowl receiver Larry Fitzgerald, sidelined with a hamstring injury, against a Chicago defense that had allowed two touchdowns all season.

Accustomed to the bright lights that came with three national championship game appearances at USC, Leinart was anything but intimidated. He was 5-for-5 on a 12-play, 77-yard touchdown drive on Arizona’s opening attack.

“He’s a good quarterback,” Urlacher said. “He’s young, we tried to throw a lot of stuff at him. He took care of the football, didn’t have any interceptions. But we made the plays when we had to.”

Notes: Ex-Cardinal and CBS analyst Dan Dierdorf was added to the team’s ring of honor before the game. ... The Cardinals are 12-26 in Green’s three seasons with the team. ... Chicago’s Thomas Jones managed just 39 yards in 11 carries.

NFL game stories Quick look at Week 4 games STEELERS 23, RAVENS 20, OT: Baltimore loses first game of season REDSKINS 26, COWBOYS 24: Dallas can't contain Portis in 1st loss BEARS 24, EAGLES 20: Goal-line stand boosts Chicago JETS 56, CARDINALS 35: Favre throws career-high 6 TDs BUCS 30, PACKERS 21: Ryan's 3 FGs lift Tampa CHARGERS 28, RAIDERS 18: San Diego tops rival 10th straight time BILLS 31, RAMS 14: Buffalo 4-0 for first time since 1992 CHIEFS 33, BRONCOS 19: Johnson rushes for 198 yards for K.C. BROWNS 20, BENGALS 12: Anderson throws TD TITANS 30, VIKINGS 17: Tennessee 4-0 for first time ever PANTHERS 24, FALCONS 9: Smith honors Lucas after TD JAGUARS 30, TEXANS 27, OT: Scobey kicks game winner SAINTS 31, 49ERS 17: McAlister scores first TD of year

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