Thursday | 8:15 ET
In a Thursday Night Football matchup for the ages, the 1-7 Carolina Panthers will head to Soldier Field to take on the 2-7 Chicago Bears. Bears quarterback Justin Fields has missed the last two games with a thumb injury, but could possibly return this week. If he does, it would be a big boost for the Bears offense compared to Tyson Bagent, who threw three interceptions last week. This is oddly a big game for Chicago, who possesses Carolina’s first round pick in the upcoming draft. If the Bears lose, it would hurt both their record and next year’s draft stock.
For Carolina, everything is about Bryce Young right now. He’s struggled in the first half of his rookie season, having thrown only eight touchdowns compared to seven interceptions. An improvement in his play is all that Panthers fans can hope for in 2023.
Whether or not Justin Fields returns for Week 10, the Bears offense should be able to produce. It has shown the ability to score with Tyson Bagent under center (30 points against the Raiders). The Panthers defense is very bad, having allowed the sixth most points in the NFL even with their bye week already under their belt. They allow the eighth most yards per carry, which is music to Chicago’s ears. The Bears have a strong rushing attack. The team ranks sixth in yards per carry and third in total rushing yards in 2023. With RB Khalil Herbert out, D’Onta Foreman has been fantastic over that last few weeks. With Herbert set to return, the outlook only gets better.
Also, this will be Bears WR DJ Moore’s first game against his former team. I have to expect that he’ll put up a solid stat line. Carolina doesn’t have any lockdown cornerbacks to be worried about. With the Bears offensive line playing well lately and the Panthers’ weak pass rush (last in QB pressures), the Bears quarterback should not be under duress. If Fields plays, I think he has an amazing game.
On the other side of the ball, the Panthers have been awful. They have the third lowest PFF defensive grade and have scored the fifth lowest points in the NFL in 2023. First overall pick Bryce Young’s career has gotten off to a rough start. In his defense, he is surrounding by minimal weapons after Carolina traded away Christian McCaffrey and DJ Moore last season. Carolina is last in yards per pass attempt and 21st in yards per carry.
Chicago’s defense has not been great this season, but it has been solid for several weeks now. Its issue is its inability to create pressure. Chicago ranks last in PFF pass rush grade. In a start difference from last year though, the defense has allowed the lowest yards per carry to opposing offenses this season. The coverage numbers aren’t as good, but this week could be the first week of the season in which the Bears full secondary is active (S Jaquon Brisker should be back in action). Bryce Young will be forced to use his arm to move down the field. That hasn’t gone well for him up to this point.
From the Bears perspective, the team needs to look great. Carolina is awful on both sides of the ball and provides a perfect opportunity for both the offense and defense to show what they are capable of.