Glendale, Ariz. ? Even on a very bad night for Rex Grossman, the Chicago Bears found a way to stay unbeaten. They can thank their defense, punt returner Devin Hester and Arizona kicker Neil Rackers for that.

Down three touchdowns at halftime, Chicago returned two fumbles for touchdowns in the second half. Then Hester returned a punt 83 yards for a score with 2:58 remaining to take the lead, and the Bears (6-0) overcame six turnovers by Grossman to beat the Cardinals, 24-23, on a wild Monday night.

Matt Leinart, who threw two first-quarter touchdowns and finished 24-for-42 for 232 yards, coolly directed Arizona downfield at the finish for a chance to claim a victory that appeared to be the Cardinals’ all night.

But Rackers, a Pro Bowl kicker last season who connected from 41, 28 and 29 yards earlier in the evening, missed a 41-yarder to the left with 53 seconds left for what would have been the winner for Arizona (1-5).

Arizona coach Dennis Green was seething. Judging by his comments, he clearly didn’t believe the Bears lived up to the hype – or deserved to win.

“The Bears are who we thought they were!” he said, yelling at the top of his lungs and pounding on the podium at his news conference. “Now, if you want to crown them, then crown (them)! But they are who they thought they were! And we let them off the hook!”

Green then stormed away.

Anquan Boldin caught 12 passes for 136 yards and a touchdown for the Cardinals, who blew a late lead at home for the third time this season. Similar collapses occurred against St. Louis and Kansas City.

Arizona quarterback Matt Leinart, front, is clobbered by Chicago defensive end Mark Anderson in the third quarter. The Bears rallied for an improbable 24-23 victory Monday in Glendale, Ariz.

Edgerrin James carried 36 times for only 55 yards, an average of 1.5 yards per attempt, with one very costly fumble.

After Grossman threw his fourth interception, the Cardinals were trying to use up time. But Brian Urlacher stripped the ball from James and Charles Tillman scooped it up for a 40-yard return to cut Arizona’s lead to 23-17 with five minutes left.

Urlacher finished with 11 tackles, seeming to find his way to the ball on nearly every play as the Cardinals were making their final drives.

“First of all, they weren’t blocking me, so that was easy,” Urlacher said.

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

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.

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 new stadium.

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