Chicago Bears vs Carolina Panthers – Week 5 Game Preview: Overview, Keys to Game, Insights
The Bears (2-2) played their most complete game of the season last week, posting a 24-18 victory over the Rams at Soldier Field. Chicago avoided turnovers and limited penalties and other mistakes with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams‘ decision making continuing to improve. Next up, is a chance to get back above the .500 mark with a home matchup against the Panthers.
The first two weeks of 2024 seemed like a continuation of the disastrous 2023 season for Carolina (1-3). Quarterback Bryce Young, who the Panthers famously traded D.J. Moore and numerous draft picks to the Bears to take first overall in last year’s draft looked completely overwhelmed. They were outscored by a whopping 73-13 in losses to the Saints and Chargers.
First-year head coach Dave Canales made a drastic move before Week 3, benching Young and naming veteran Andy Dalton his starting QB. The former Bears signal-caller lead his team to 34 points and a win over the Raiders in his first game. Carolina dropped their next game to the Bengals but were competitive, falling 34-24.
Not surprisingly, the Panthers have allowed 32.3 points a game, the most of any team in the NFL. That number is skewed by several touchdowns opponents have scored off turnovers by the offense. The defense allows 358 yards a game, which is the fifth most in football. The biggest problem Carolina has is slowing down the run, giving up an average of 148 ground yards per contest.
Offensively the Panthers were non-functional with Young under center, with just 353 total yards in two games. The turnaround under Dalton has been stunning, with 812 yards and 58 points in his two starts. This is a viable unit under the veteran quarterback and can’t be taken lightly.
Even with the improvements with the switch at QB, Carolina is still one of the worst, if not the worst, team in the NFL. If they have any desire to be a playoff team, the Bears have to take care of business against this squad at home. This is another chance for Williams to continue show the steady improvement he has made every single week.
Where to Watch/Listen
- Sunday, October 6 at 12:00pm CT on FOX, WBBM Radio (English), and WRTO Radio (Spanish).
Keys to Victory
Here are my keys to Sunday’s game. If these things happen, the Bears should have a shot to win.
- Keep running the football. The Bears finally ran for over 100 yards against the Rams. D’Andre Swift, after struggling mightily the first three weeks was able to get some traction on the ground with 93 yards. Carolina has issues stopping the run so this should be a good opportunity.
- Caleb Williams continuing to make smart decisions. Williams did an excellent job against Los Angeles taking what the defense gave him and not making risky throws into coverage that could lead to interceptions. That doesn’t mean he should never take aggressive shots deep, just that he doesn’t have to force it if it’s not there.
- Pressure Dalton in the pocket. The Red Rifle is a lot of things but fast is not one of them. DE Montez Sweat had a huge game last week and the whole team generated a lot of pass rush throughout. This is a chance with a quarterback that’s not very mobile to pick up some sacks.
Don’t Tell Me the Odds
The Bears are four point favorites at home against the Panthers Sunday at Soldier Field, the second consecutive week they are favored. Vegas expects the Bears to be in another low-scoring slugfest with the over/under set at 40.5.
It’s Football Weather
It’s going to be a very pleasant fall day at Soldier Field on Sunday with a high temperature of 71 and partly cloudy skies. There will be a west wind at 12 miles an hour which might be a factor.
My Prediction
The Bears defense has been playing well all season long and will keep it up this week forcing a couple of turnovers. I expect Williams to have a productive game and make a couple big plays against the Panthers defense. I’m going to predict Chicago wins this one 27-20.
Official Bears Preview
Tremaine Edmunds joins Jeff Joniak and Tom Thayer on Bears, etc. to share insights from his NFL journey so far. Plus, don’t miss an exclusive chat with Panthers legend Luke Kuechly as the Bears prepare to take on his former team this weekend.
