by Sharon Thorsland
It’s a quick turnaround for the Panthers, who travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football. They’re looking to bounce back after Sunday’s ugly loss to the Colts, while the Bears are coming off a five-turnover performance in a loss to the Saints that dropped them to 2-7 on the season.
The Bears are having another rough season. Third year quarterback Justin Fields has been out with a thumb injury so undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent has been running the offense with mixed results – three touchdowns to go with six interceptions and two lost fumbles, with another two scores coming on the ground. There’s a chance Fields could make his return tonight so the Panthers are preparing to see both quarterbacks. Whoever is on the field their top target will be former Panther DJ Moore. He leads Chicago with 47 catches for 735 yards and has five touchdowns. He teams with Darnell Mooney and tight end Cole Kmet.
The Bears bread and butter is their run game, though, and they’ve got another Panther leading the way in D’onta Foreman. He’s rushed for 261 yards and two touchdowns since taking over for the injured Khalil Herbert in week six. “D’onta, he’s going to get downhill,” said Panther defensive tackle Derrick Brown. “I saw it a lot in practice last year, seeing it live this time will be a little bit different.” Brown and the Panther defense have been better against the run lately, but they will be without several key players for this one, including linebacker Brian Burns and cornerback CJ Henderson, who are both out with concussions.
The Bears are excellent at stopping the run, they rank fourth in the NFL allowing just 80 rushing yards a game. Their pass rush has been awful, though, they are dead last in the league with just 10 sacks. The acquisition of former Commanders defensive end Montez Sweat at the trade deadline should help, he had six and a half sacks in Washington. Veteran linebacker T.J. Edwards lead the team in tackles. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson is the anchor of an injury-plagued secondary, he’s got two picks and a forced fumble, veteran Eddie Jackson starts at safety. “They like to stop the run, they’ve got a nice d-line, linebackers,” said Panther running back Miles Sanders. “They got a good defense. It’s going to be a good match-up.”
The Panthers are hoping they can make a good game out of it as well. They’re ready to move past the Colts game and get back in the win column, something that hasn’t been easy for them in the past at Soldier Field. The Panthers have only won there one time, a playoff win in 2005, while losing their other five games. Now would be a good time to snap that streak and get a much-needed win!
