Big return helps Chicago Bears hold off Arizona Cardinals

Deonte Thompson returned a missed field goal 109 yards for a touchdown at the end of the second quarter and the Chicago Bears hung on to defeat the Arizona Cardinals 24-23 on Saturday night in a preseason game at Glendale, Ariz.

The Cardinals rallied from a 10-point deficit in the final two minutes to almost steal the victory, but after a 52-yard field goal with 1:25 to play and a 3-yard touchdown pass by Blaine Gabbert with nine seconds left, Arizona couldn't connect on a two-point conversion.

On the conversion try, Gabbert looked for Ross again and the receiver was open, but didn't turn back for the ball in time as the pass fell incomplete in the end zone.

Earlier, Arizona punter Matt Wile executed an onside kick that the Cardinals recovered after it bounced in and out of the hands of Chicago's Daniel Braverman.

Thompson's return came after the Cardinals elected to have Phil Dawson attempt a 63-yarder with one second left before halftime. It was short and to the right, and Thompson took it all the way back down the left sideline.

Neither team was able to do very much offensively, as they only combined for 559 -- 267 by the Bears and 292 by the Cardinals. Most of that came during the frantic fourth quarter.

Bears quarterback Mike Glennon managed to shake off last week's disappointing performance in a loss to the Broncos by completing 13 of 18 passes for 89 yards and a touchdown. He was intercepted once, but it wasn't for a pick six like it was in his Bears debut against Denver last week.

Unlike when he completed 2 of 8 passes for 20 yards and a 0.00 quarterback rating against the Broncos, Glennon got into a decent rhythm in this game. His lone touchdown pass was a 7-yard scoring strike to Kendall Wright with 36 seconds remaining in the first half.

Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer was 9 of 14 for 67 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. He capped an 11-play, 43-yard drive with a 1-yard scoring toss to tight end Jermaine Gresham in the first quarter. Preceding the touchdown, Tyrann Mathieu had intercepted a Glennon pass and returned it 52 yards.

Arizona barely used its two primary offensive weapons, running back David Johnson and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Johnson had three carries for 3 yards and Fitzgerald was thrown to only once before they each were pulled by coach Bruce Arians.

Gabbert finished 14 of 25 for 174 yards with one touchdown pass, a touchdown run and one interception.

Bears rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, the darling of last week's game against the Broncos, completed 6 of 8 passes for 60 yards and one touchdown -- a 6-yard scoring pass to Benny Cunningham.