Bears slip past the Panthers
If this was Tyson Bagent's last start before starting quarterback Justin Fields returns from injury, Bagent went out on a high note with a win, 16-13, over the Carolina Panthers at Soldier Field.
Bagent, the undrafted rookie out of Division II Shepherd University, won his second game in four tries as an NFL starter.
Panthers kicker Eddy Piñeiro's had a 59-yard field goal try that could've tied the game up with 1:35 remaining, but his kick came up well short. The Bears held on for the win, improving to 3-7 on the season.
It wasn't pretty, but it was a win. Head coach Matt Eberflus' team definitely needed this win against a Panthers team that is among the worst in football right now. Carolina dropped to 1-8 on the season.
Fields missed his fourth consecutive game since dislocating his thumb on Oct. 15. There was some optimism coming into the week that Fields might play in this game, but the Bears ruled him out on Wednesday.
Once again, with Bagent under center, the Bears kept the game plan relatively simple and leaned on their running game. Running back D'Onta Foreman finished the game with 80 rushing yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Running back Khalil Herbert, who returned to practice earlier this week, missed his fifth consecutive game since injuring his ankle on Oct. 5.
For a while, it didn't look so good for the Bears.
The Panthers kicked off the scoring with a 79-yard punt return touchdown from receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette in the first quarter. Three Bears touched Smith-Marsette along the way, but couldn't drag him down.
Smith-Marsette is a former Bears receiver, who played for the team for a short time last year. He's probably most remembered for a fourth-quarter fumble against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5 of last season. The Bears cut him a few weeks later. The touchdown appeared to be an emotional moment for him against his former team.
The Bears offense struggled to find much consistency, but did enough to reach field goal range. In the first half, the Bears could muster only three field goals. Kicker Cairo Santos made all three of his first-half tries, scoring from 36, 39 and 54 yards. The Panthers led, 10-9, at halftime.
After halftime, Foreman scored a 4-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to give the Bears their first lead, 16-10. That proved to be enough points to hold on for the victory. Bagent finished his day 20-for-33 passing for 162 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
The Bears' defense, meanwhile, played one of its best games of the season. Quarterback Bryce Young and the Panthers offense couldn't find any groove. The Bears pressured Young all evening long. The defense sacked Young three times and recorded nine QB hits.
Defensive tackle Justin Jones, defensive end Yannick Ngakoue and defensive end Rasheem Green each recorded sacks for the Bears.
Carolina really struggled to convert on third down, going 3-for-15 on third down. Young finished his night 21-for-38 passing for 185 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
The Bears now have a nine-day layoff until returning to action Nov. 19 against Detroit at Ford Field. That should give Fields plenty of time to rest his ailing right thumb. It would seem likely that the starting QB could be back for that contest.