Teddy Bridgewater got off to a difficult start and ended no better when the Carolina Panthers lost a 23:16 fight at home to the Chicago Bears. A sack pushed Bridgewater’s back against the shadow of his own end zone on the opening offense, and an interception gave Nick Foles a short field to operate on and he made her pay with a touchdown throw to Cole Kmet to take the early lead for the Chicago Bears. The Carolina Panthers responded with a 14-game, 72-yard drive that reached the Bears’ 3-yard line but was narrowly missed and settled for a field goal to reduce the lead to four in the first quarter .
It was largely a defensive competition and, as such, points were of paramount importance. Foles looked far more efficient than Bridgewater for most of the game, and it was clear that Matt Nagy’s plan was to get the ball out of his quarterback’s hands quickly. Bridgewater tried hard to do the same, but did just enough to finish the game in the fourth quarter with the help of Mike Davis, Robby Anderson and DJ Moore – and threatened to escape with an unlikely comeback win.
However, the bears prevailed and stole the win in what turned out to be one of the more exciting games in the NFL that weekend.
Why the bears won
Touchdowns.
They ranked high in this NFC match as both defenses received a shot more than once for a game-changing game. However, when there was an absolute boost, it was Foles and the Bears who got the most out of their possessions in the red zone. They climbed to 20-6 by the end of the third quarter with a QB sneak from Foles to make their second successful red zone switch in the first three attempts, and made the Panthers a one-dimensional team in the final session. From then on, it was simply a matter of keeping the pressure on a struggling Bridgewater – who found no groove in passing for most of the afternoon.
Foles wasn’t perfect, and he made his share of mistakes after launching a 9v10 start on passes attempts, but he was efficient and kept the Bears offensive on the rails. Although the bears didn’t have a big day in the way of racing yards, they enjoyed an afternoon watching Foles throw the ball at multiple targets and forbid the Panthers from entering Allen Robinson or a single receiver. Nagy’s pile won the conversion rate for the third descent, the conversion rate for the red zone, and got timely takeaways.
This is how you win on the go.
Why the panthers lost
It took Carolina more than three-quarters to finally find the end zone.
They went into the fourth quarter after failing to score a touchdown on two visits to the red zone – both were more than 70 yard drives that lasted more than six minutes before the clock but only resulted in two field goals – before they eventually encircled a one-yard touchdown stroke by Mike Davis. In such a defensive battle, eight points were bitten on the back of the field, especially as the Panthers offensive line struggled to provide Bridgewater with a clean pocket. He was released four times that day, and while he tried to relieve the pressure with his legs, it just wasn’t enough.
By the time Robby Anderson was involved – he only had five reception spots in the first half before delivering two downfield games in the third quarter – the Panthers were already in a hole they couldn’t climb out of and the fact that DJ Moore was disappeared only hurt the matter further. The Panthers Offensive struggled to run, pass, convert third downs, and score in the red zone.
That’s a formula for a loss.
Turning point
It arrived early on this case when pressure forced a disheveled Bridgewater to intercept Tashaun Gipson on the Panthers’ inaugural voyage. Foles and Kmet did the rest in a short field – taking a lead would never give up Chicago.
Game of the game
Can Bridgewater take one last chance to force overtime or get the unlikely victory? DeAndre Houston-Carson says no, and that’s partly thanks to the pressure Robert Quinn put on in the first place.
Coffin nailed.
Chicago won where it mattered most
“Bears have the best red zone defenses in the NFL. Panthers have one of the worst red zone defenses in the league.” – Joe person of The athlete
What’s next
The Bears now head west to face an NFC clash with the Los Angeles Rams, while the Panthers head to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to battle rival New Orleans Saints – a daunting task.
See all the highlights and promotions you might have missed in Week 6 on the live blog below.
