On Thursday Night Football in Chicago, the Bears defeated the Carolina Panthers in a gritty football game. Truthfully, the biggest takeaway from the game is probably the extent of Carolina’s issues. The Panthers are an awful football team that is in a terrible position. The aesthetics of the undrafted Tyson Bagent defeating the number one pick in Bryce Young in primetime tells you all you need to know. Still, the Bears found a way to win a crucial game without Justin Fields suited up.
Defense Shined Against Bryce Young
No matter how bad the Panthers offense is, Chicago’s defense played extremely well against it. It only allowed two field goals. As suspected, it forced Carolina to be one-dimensional. Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard could not get anything on the ground. He averaged 2.6 yards per carry. Due to the strength of the Bears run defense (which has been apparent for over a month now), Carolina was forced to pass. They ended the game with 47 passing snaps compared to only 13 rushing snaps. A whopping six of those rushing snaps resulting in tackles for loss.
‘SpiderMan’ Was Flying Around the Field
Two of those TFLs can be attributed to nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon (‘SpiderMan’), who had his best game as a Bear on Thursday Night. He recorded seven tackles, two TFLs, and one pass deflection. According to PFF, he allowed a completion percentage of 55.6% and only 26 yards while being targeted nine times. For the majority of snaps, Gordon was lined up against Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen, who has been having fantastic year. Gordon and the rest of the secondary held him to only 42 yards.
The Montez Sweat Affect
Newly acquired edge rusher Montez Sweat started his second game with the Bears in Week 10, and his presence was felt. It should be noted that the Panthers had allowed the fifth most sacks in the NFL coming into the week. Nonetheless, it was great to see the Bears defensive line actually creating pressure. Bryce Young was constantly flushed out of the pocket, especially in the first half. The defense ended up recording three sacks. Sweat didn’t get one, but he led the team by far in pressures, with seven.
The significance of just a few sacks in a given game can not be overstated. Sitting behind the Bears bench for this game, I was able to see this first hand.
The Panthers’ second drive of the second half was dominated by the Bears defensive line, and ended with a Yannick Ngakoue sack of Bryce Young. Ngakoue skipped all the way down the Chicago sideline following the play, screaming the entire way. Safety Jaquon Brisker gave him a hard shove of approvement, almost sending him to his feet. Nearing his spot on the bench, he ripped his helmet off and thrust it 15 feet to his left, causing punter Trenton Gill to leap over the rolling piece of equipment. Emotions pouring out of him, Ngakoue continued his trip behind the bench and addressed the raucous crowd, “That’s what I’m talking about”. It was an intense moment that energized the crowd and the bench exponentially. It is no coincidence that the Bears offense followed up by scoring the only offensive touchdown of the game immediately following the Ngakoue sack. That is the power of sacks and takeaways, two things that the Bears defense has been very bad at producing in 2023. Hopefully the pass rush can build off of Saturday’s performance.
Bagent Did Just Enough
After a disastrous, injury-filled performance last Week in New Orleans, quarterback Tyson Bagent clearly had one goal for Week 10: protect the ball. He took little to no risks all game. He succeeded in his goal, ending the game with zero interceptions. However, the passiveness of his gameplan also resulted in zero passing touchdowns and a measly 162 passing yards. However, RB D’Onta Foreman racked up 80 rushing yards and a touchdown. This was just enough to secure the three-point victory. Despite the lack of stats, Tyson Bagent was fired up after the game on the Thursday Night Football postgame show. He seems like a true team player, which could help him stay in the league for a long time.
Onto Detroit
After a much needed Week 10 win, the Bears will face a tough challenge next week in Detroit. It will be interesting to see how the surging defense holds up against such an efficient Lions offensive attack. In addition, the long-awaited return of QB Justin Fields will create intrigue on the offensive side of the ball. Will the constantly-improving offensive line slow down Aiden Hutchinson enough to allow Fields some time in the pocket? I can’t wait to find out.