Three straight weeks, three straight Sweet Caroline a’capella concerts in the Panthers’ locker room. The offense without its best player has been incredible the last few weeks, including last week’s performance against the Atlanta Falcons. While the box score doesn’t sizzle in the most recent performance, the offense did what it needed to do. This week, they’ll look to keep cooking against a team coming off a bye: the Chicago Bears.
Panthers offense
Theodore Throwsevelt once again was the leader this offense needed. He threw for over 300 yards at 8.5 yards per attempt, and added a couple scores through the air for good measure. While he was not as dynamic on the ground as weeks past, he didn’t need to be. He made good, quick decisions with the football and let his play makers make plays. With the season other quarterbacks are having, I doubt Teddy gets much national attention, but a Pro Bowl berth could be in his near future if he keeps playing this well.
Speaking of playing well: Mike Davis. The former Bear has mauled opposing defenses, and the Falcons were no exception. He put in work, gaining 89 yards on the ground and another 60 catching the ball, including a touchdown. The man runs angry and it scares the bejeezus out of the defense. Christian McCaffrey, if you’re reading this, take as much time as you need to get healthy. Mike can carry the load for now. Imagine how dynamic this team will be once Joe Brady can put both those guys on the field at the same time.
Teddy Two Gloves spread the ball around well to the specialists, though his favorite target is definitely Robby Anderson. Still, DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel have gotten plenty of looks as well, and all three are dynamic with the ball in their hands (as DJ Moore showed against the Falcons). Curtis Samuel even got some work as a halfback, adding yet another wrinkle to the offensive play calling. The only disappointment so far has been the lack of production from the tight end position. After 48 years of Greg Olsen being Greg Olsen, it’s strange to see only guys with numbers in the teens getting receptions.
Bears defense
Since the Bears are coming off a bye, they’ve had a chance to get some guys healthy. Stalwarts like defensive tackle Akiem Hicks and edge rusher Kalil Mack were banged up heading into the Buccaneers game two weeks ago (though both did play). If those two guys are back healthy, then the Panthers offensive line could have a challenge ahead of them. Though less than a hundred percent against the Bucs, Kalil Mack still got a couple sacks. A week off for him to heal could haunt the Panthers. They also have former first rounders Robert Quinn and Barkevious Mingo to help get after the quarterback.
The Bears defense also touts a very solid linebacker duo in Roquan Smith and Danny Trevathan. The former first round pick, Smith leads the team in tackles by a wide margin and even has a few pass breakups and a forced fumble. Trevathan hasn’t been quite as good so far this year, but he is still a talented player.
The strength of the Bears defense might just be its secondary. They have highly touted corner Kyle Fuller on one side and rookie Jaylon Johnson on the other. Their safeties are fantastic, though they haven’t quite taken over games yet this season. Tayshon Gipson Sr. and Eddie Jackson have been tackling machines, but only Gipson has a pick to his name. Depth on the back end could be an issue since two backup safeties — Deon Bush and Sherrick McManus — missed the game against the Bucs due to hamstring injuries. If they haven’t made enough progress over the bye, the safety position could be a bit thin for the Bears.
Matchup
This is a tough one to call, and the Panthers offense has proved me wrong whenever I’ve doubted them against tough defenses. The difference between this game and the games against the Chargers and Cardinals is that the Bears are relatively healthy on the defensive side of the ball. I expect this to be a lower scoring game than we’ve seen from the Panthers lately, but I don’t think Teddy and Company necessarily struggle. Look for the Panthers to continue to lean on former Bear Mike Davis to wear down the defense. While the Bears have a great defense, I give the Panthers a slight edge in this matchup. The Bears have not been producing turnovers this season, and Teddy is not one to give the ball away very often. The ability of the Panthers specialists to house any touch they get could also play a big role in getting a couple quick scores.
What do you think Panthers fans? Sound off in the comments!