The Chicago Bears struggled more than they needed to but they did enough to come away with a victory over the Carolina Panthers.
Some people are old enough to remember the Chicago White Sox in 1983 and their “Winning Ugly” campaign. They won their division but one of their rivals talked about them winning ugly in close games. That is something that could be said about the Chicago Bears in their game against the Carolina Panthers.
The Carolina Panthers have struggled this season more than even the Bears. They came into the game with a 1-7 record. For those who thought Chicago would have a cakewalk, they were sadly disappointed. They had to come back to win 16-13.
Despite having great contributions in all three phases of the game, the Bears could never break away from Carolina. In fact, they spent the entire first half playing from behind.
While the Bears had 205 total yards of offense in the first half to Carolina’s 97, only Carolina had a touchdown. Ihmir Smith-Marsette took a punt 79 yards for a touchdown. Later, the Panthers added a field goal. Meanwhile, the Bears could only muster three field goals.
The Bears dominated the stat sheet but found themselves down 10-9 at halftime. Thank goodness for Cairo Santos who was perfect in his three attempts in the first half.
The Bears took advantage of their opportunity
The teams did not do much as the third quarter progressed. The Panthers punted twice and the Bears punted once. On that punt, Trenton Gil boomed a 61-yard bomb. It pinned the Panther deep in their territory.
The defense kept the Panthers pinned deep in their territory and Carolina had to punt from the end zone. The Bears got the ball on Carolina’s 38-yard line. Chicago took advantage of the short field and scored the only offensive touchdown by either side. It culminated with a D’Onta Foreman tough four-yard run.
Foreman had another stellar game playing in relief of Khalil Herbert. He had 21 carries for 80 yards and that one touchdown. He helped the Bears control the clock with his runs. He not only did that he also converted a few first downs, extending drives.
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It was the Bears’ only scoring opportunity for the rest of the game.
The defense came through
Despite a couple of hiccups, the defense had another good game. They once again shined against the run. They allowed just 43 rushing yards. They came into the game ranked fourth against the run so that ranking could go up.
The Bears held Carolina to just 213 total yards on offense. Their pass rush, which has been practically nonexistent all season, harassed Panthers quarterback Bryce Young. He was under constant pressure and the Bears got to him for three sacks.
Chicago also held the Panthers to 3/15 (20 percent) on third down. However, Carolina was 3/3 on fourth down. Also, the Bears had Carolina in a first-down and 30-yards-to-go situation but allowed them to convert.
That occurred on the Panthers’ final drive of the game. Carolina got the ball on their own 9-yard line with 7:10 left in the game. They took up 5:30 off the clock and converted on several fourth downs. However, they faced a fourth and 10 on Chicago’s 41.
Instead of trying to convert, the Panthers decided to have former Chicago Bears kicker Eddy Pineiro attempt a 59-yard field goal for the tie. He fell short and the Bears ran out the clock.
Bagent made up for his mistake-laden game last week
Quarterback Tyson Bagent again filled in for starter Justin Fields. He got the opportunity to make up for his horrible second half last week. He accounted for four of the Bears’ five turnovers (3 interceptions, 1 fumble lost).
With the formula of an effective running game and a tough, stingy, defense, Bagent did just enough to help get the win. He finished the game 20/33 for 162 yards. He had no touchdowns. More importantly, he had zero turnovers.
Bagent struggled in the second half again, however. He went 6/9 for 35 yards in that second half. If he continues to start games, he needs to be more consistent. He cannot have punts on three of four drives with the game on the line and expect to win games. You could get away with that against the Carolina Panthers but not very many other teams.
Next up for the Bears is a ten-day rest. After that, they face the NFC North leaders, the Detroit Lions. Let’s see if the Bears can keep their momentum.