Bears dominate Panthers to move above .500 |
CHICAGO—Now that is what winning football is supposed to be like, as the Chicago Bears (3-2) took it to the Carolina Panthers (1-4) at Solider Field on Sunday. Ever since the Panthers traded DJ Moore and a first-round pick to the Bears two offseasons ago, the history of both of these franchises has forever changed, as they will be linked together forever.
The Bears got Moore and Caleb Williams out of the deal, while the Panthers ultimately got Bryce Young. In the years following their trades, the Bears have been trending in the right direction, while the Panthers have continued to be one of the worst teams in the league. You saw that on Sunday as a 20-point second quarter and another 300-plus yard passing game from Williams, it was the Bears getting back above .500 with a 36-10 victory. This win has been a long time coming for Chicago, as most of their wins the past few seasons have come in ugly fashion. This was one of those games where the Bears not only scored early but scored often, finally having a blowout win under their belt. Williams's 304 yards and two TDs certainly helped, with Moore coming away with 105 of those yards and one TD. You also had Swift continue to improve with 73 yards on 21 carries, although this was a down week from what he showed in week four. As good as the Bears offense looked most of the game, they actually found themselves trailing at one point with Chubb Hubbard breaking out for a 38-yard TD to put the Panthers in front 7-0 midway through the first. Not only was that the only lead of the game for the Panthers, but it was the start of 27 unanswered points to close out the first half, as the Bears took a 27-7 lead at the break. Williams played a role in the Bears' first TD, finding Rome Odunze for 11 yards to move the chains and then going back up top to Moore, who hauled in a 34-yard reception to tie things up 7-7. That was just the beginning for the Bears offense as another quick punt for the Panthers gave the ball back to the Bears who immediately went down the field for a 13-play, 80 yard drive. Finding Moore for 23 yards certainly helped get the ball moving, as did Swift picking up an 18-yard first down. Swift would eventually have a TD taken away from him on a penalty, but that was just a small blip in the radar, with Roschon Johnson delivering a one-yard score to make things 14-7. With the lead, it was time for the Bears defense to pin their ears back and set the tone as Jaquan Brisker forced a fumble only to have Gervon Dexter come away with the recovery. Three plays later, it was 21-7 as Swift capped off another drive with a score. Carolina continued to shoot themselves in the foot the rest of the first half as they not only missed a late half-field goal but also turned the ball over on downs to give the ball back to the Bears, who capped off another drive with a 30-yard TD, to Moore to make this a 27-7 game. As if the first half success wasn't enough for the Bears, why not start the second half with a bang as Kevin Byard came through with a massive interception off of Andy Dalton to begin the second half, setting up a 33-yard Cairo Santos field goal to push the lead to 30-7. Despite the Panthers moving the ball well multiple times, they had nothing to show for it apart from their opening drive, but they finally got something going midway through the third quarter. The Panthers dodged a bullet by recovering their own fumble, only to have Jonathan Mingo pull down a long 29-yard completion to move the ball inside the Bears 10. From there, it was all about the defense yet again as they kept the Panthers out of the endzone, and Carolina had to settle for an Eddy Pinero 27-yarder to pull the Panthers within 30-10. Those would be the final points of the day for the Panthers as the Bears defense held Carolina to under 300 yards while their offense continues to make strides as a unit. Following a series of punts, the Bears defense made another play with Trumaine Edmunds coming away with a fumble recovery, and giving the ball back to the Bears offense inside the Carolina 30. Five plays later, it was a 36-10 game as Johnson picked up his second short-yardage TD of the half. Several fights broke out after that play, resulting in multiple ejections, but it didn't take away from a dominating 36-10 performance by the Bears as they moved back above .500 for the first time since starting 1-0. Along with Moore's 105 yards, Cole Kmet continues to play well, adding 57 yards on three receptions. Williams also added 34 yards on the ground to go with his 304 passing yards, and Johnson picked up 25 yards and two scores in the win.
