The Carolina Panthers have chalked up eight losses through nine games this season—and none of them were more embarrassing than the one on Thursday night.
Here’s everything we know from the Week 10 defeat to the Chicago Bears:
Final score: Bears 16, Panthers 13
Keys to the game
- The Panthers were absolutely punchless on offense. They didn’t reach the end zone, they converted on just three of their 15 third-down attempts and mustered up all of 213 yards.
- Quarterback Bryce Young was once again was failed by his supporting cast. Along with absorbing three sacks, his receivers had difficulty separating throughout the night. Young finished having completed 21 of his 35 throws for 185 yards.
- Former Panthers running back D’Onta Foreman towed an almost equally stagnant Bears offense. He recorded 80 yards and the game’s only offensive touchdown on 21 carries.
It was over when . . .
Down 16-13 with just seven minutes remaining, the Panthers got a chance to tie or go ahead with a drive starting from their own 9-yard line. 14 plays and 50 yards later, Young nearly threw an interception to linebacker Jack Sanborn, forcing a fourth-and-10 from Chicago’s 41.
Head coach Frank Reich opted for a 59-yard field goal, one kicker Eddy Piñeiro would come up short on. The Bears proceeded to take over at the 1:40 mark and picked up a game-clinching first down on an 8-yard reception by wideout Darnell Mooney.
Players of the game
- DT Derrick Brown: 10 tackles (one for a loss), two quarterback hits
- CB Donte Jackson: seven tackles, two passes defensed
- WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette: 79-yard punt return for a touchdown
What's next?
The 1-8 Panthers will go back home to host the Dallas Cowboys in Week 11.
