Bears QB Andy Dalton to start vs. Cardinals; Justin Fields likely out

The first hint that the Chicago Bears would start veteran quarterback Andy Dalton for Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals came on Wednesday when head coach Matt Nagy told reporters Dalton was taking first-team practice reps as rookie signal-caller Justin Fields worked to return from the cracked ribs he first suffered during the Week 11 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. 

Per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk, Nagy confirmed some expected news on Friday. 

Nagy announced that Dalton will be his QB1 for the second straight week versus Arizona. Additionally, Nick Foles will be Dalton's backup, which essentially guarantees Fields will sit again and attempt to recover from his setback enough to face the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 12. 

Dalton started in Fields' place for the Thanksgiving Day game at the Detroit Lions and completed 24-of-39 passes for 317 yards with one touchdown and an interception in the 16-14 victory that improved the Bears to 4-7.

As for the 9-2 Cardinals, head coach Kliff Kingsbury said on Friday that starting quarterback Kyler Murray (ankle) and star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (hamstring) will be game-day decisions at Chicago.