The Chicago Bears defeated the Carolina Panthers 16-13 on Thursday night at Soldier Field, thanks to a strong defensive performance and a go-ahead touchdown run by D’Onta Foreman.
The Bears defense held the Panthers without a touchdown and to just 213 total yards and 12 first downs. They also recorded three sacks.
Foreman scored the game’s only offensive touchdown on a 4-yard run in the third quarter. The Bears drove to the Panthers’ 38 after the defense forced a three-and-out.
Eddy Piñeiro’s 39-yard field goal cut the deficit to 16-13 early in the fourth quarter, but his potential game-tying 59-yard attempt fell well short with 1:35 remaining.
Ihmir Smith-Marsette takes one back against his former team 🏠📞#CARvsCHI on Prime Video
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The Bears improved to 3-7 with the victory. They are 3-3 since their 0-4 start.
“I really thought that we played some good complementary football,” said Bears head coach Matt Eberflus. “I really thought that the defense did a really good job of creating some short fields for our offense most of the day, and that was good. We capitalized on some of them. It was that kind of game. Both defenses played well today. I think overall we handled it well and put ourselves in position to win the game.”
Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent completed 20 of 33 passes for 162 yards and a 73.0 passer rating. He also avoided any sacks.
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“He’s always done a really good job of avoiding sacks through the course of the four games that he’s played,” Eberflus said. “What he did well today is he didn’t put the ball in harm’s way and gave us a chance to win.”
Two former Panthers helped fuel the Bears offense, with Foreman rushing for 80 yards on 21 carries and DJ Moore catching five passes for a game-high 58 yards.
The Bears defensive line generated consistent pressure on Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, with tackle Justin Jones and ends Yannick Ngakoue and Rasheem Green recording sacks. End Montez Sweat recorded three quarterback hits.
Justin Jones brings the heat to force a punt 😤#CARvsCHI on Prime Video
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The Panthers took a 7-0 lead on Ihmir Smith-Marsette’s 79-yard punt return touchdown midway through the first quarter. Smith-Marsette, who played six games for the Bears last season, broke three tackles en route to his first career return TD.
The Bears cut the deficit to 7-3 on Cairo Santos’ 54-yard field goal. It came after Santos’ apparent 49-yarder was nullified by a false start on Cody Whitehair.
Carolina extended its lead to 10-3 on Pineiro’s 33-yard field goal early in the second period. The kick was set up by Young’s 45-yard completion to receiver Mike Strachan to the Chicago 26.
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Santos answered with two more field goals, a 36-yarder with 3:06 left in the second quarter, and a 39-yarder as time expired in the half, drawing the Bears to within 10-9. The second came after Bagent had engineered a 9-play, 70-yard drive in just 1:12.
“I’m certainly proud of the guys the way they handled the end of the half,” Eberflus said. “Really did a good job of taking the two-minute down there. Bagent did a really good job there.”
The Bears defense opened the second half by forcing two three-and-outs. After the second, Foreman’s 4-yard touchdown run gave the Bears a 16-10 lead. The game’s first offensive TD came with 6:33 left in the third quarter.
The Panthers cut the deficit to 16-13 on Piñeiro’s 30-yard field goal with 11:06 to play in the fourth quarter. The kick came after Gordon broke up Young’s third-down pass intended for receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. that would have resulted in a first down. Gordon also registered eight tackles and two tackles-for-loss in the game.
After Pineiro’s late miss, the Bears ran out the clock, clinching the win on Bagent’s 8-yard pass to Darnell Mooney on third-and-7 from the Carolina 48.
Eberflus explained why the Bears chose to pass instead of run the ball on the play.
“If you decide to run at that time, you’re going to have to punt
