The Bears improved their record to 2-2 on Sunday after defeating the Carolina Panthers 34-29.
The Bears ran the ball for 224 yards, 205 coming from Matt Forte on perhaps his best game as a Bear.
Jay Cutler played game manager while throwing for 102 yards, however he did throw an ugly interception in the fourth quarter intended for backup TE Kris Adams.
The defense of the Bears couldn’t bring down Panthers rookie QB Cam Newton for a sack. They brought pressure many times, but he was able to dodge the heat.
However, the defense did affect his decisions enough to come away with the key stops at the end.
At the half, the Bears were leading 24-20, but it seemed like even with the interception return by D.J. Moore and the success in the running game with Matt Forte, the Panthers still had a chance.
The Panthers did have a chance, mainly because the Bears linebackers got gashed by DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. Those runs opened up the passing game, where Steve Smith once again burned the Bears like it was the 2005 playoffs.
Cam Newton is a different quarterback that is athletically gifted, you have to key in on him, if not he could escape for big chunks of yards with his feet. Newton was doing it with his arm because the Bears didn’t think he could.
With the score 34-23 under one minute to left in the game, it was pretty much over. The Bears defense allowed the Panthers to charge down the field and score a meaningless touchdown, which was scored by former Bear Greg Olsen. So, the final score appeared closer than it really was.
On a day where Devin Hester scored his 11th punt return touchdown, Matt Forte ran over 200 yards, D.J. Moore returned an interception for a touchdown and Jay Cutler threw only nine passes, you would have thought it would have been easier for them to put the game away early.
Up Next:
The Bears travel to Detroit next Monday night to take on the 4-0 Lions, how weird does that sound?
WR Calvin Johnson has eight touchdowns so far this season, two in each game, making him the first player to perform such a feat. Look for the Bears to continue to run the ball because Matt Forte has had some success against them in the past.
DE Julius Peppers was the player who separated Lions QB Matthew Stafford’s shoulder last season. Look for the Lions to key in on Peppers and perhaps whoever is matching up against Calvin Johnson on the outside.
Expect a good game between these two NFC North rivals.
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