Foles, stingy defense lead Bears past Panthers 23-16

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Nick Foles threw for 1 touchdown and ran for another, Chicago's defense forced 3 turnovers and sacked Teddy Bridgewater 4 times and the Bears held on to beat the Carolina Panthers 23-16 on Sunday.

Foles finished with 198 yards passing and a touchdown and David Montgomery added 58 yards on the ground as the Bears (5-1) opened the season 3-0 on the road for the first time since 2006, when they reached the Super Bowl.

Bridgewater was under duress most of the game. He was held to a season-low 216 yards passing and was intercepted twice.

Chicago improved to 2-1 with Foles as the starter. The former Super Bowl MVP also rallied the Bears past the Falcons when coach Matt Nagy benched Mitchell Trubisky in Week 3.

The Panthers had two chances to tie it late but couldn't convert.

On a fourth-and-2 from the Bears' 36 with 2 minutes left, D.J, Moore couldn't haul in a one-handed catch on a pass that was slightly overthrown. Carolina's defense came up with a stop, but DeAndre Houston-Carson intercepted Bridgewater to seal the victory for Chicago.

The Panthers (3-3), who had their three-game winning streak snapped, ran 12 plays in the Bears' red zone in the first half, but none gained more than 5 yards and Carolina entered the locker room trailing 13-6 at halftime.

The Panthers' struggles started from the opening kickoff, where they were flagged for an illegal block. Mike Davis lost a yard on the first carry, Bridgewater was sacked at the Carolina 1 and then intercepted by Tashaun Gipson on third down. That set up a 7-yard touchdown pass from Foles to tight end Cole Kmet to give the Bears a 7-0 lead.

Foles' 1-yard run put the Bears ahead 20-6 lead late in the third quarter.

The Panthers cut the lead in half early in the fourth quarter when cornerback Jaylon Johnson was flagged for pass interference in the end zone on Moore, setting up a 1-yard touchdown plunge by former Chicago running back Mike Davis.