Bears Beat Panthers 16-13 On Thursday Night Football

The Chicago Bears beat the Carolina Panthers at Soldier Field 16-13. The defense played stellar football, holding Carolina on critical downs and the offense did just enough to squeak by.

Tyson Bagent did enough for the Bears to not throw the game away. He kept the ball secure and made a throw to Darnell Mooney on third down that iced the game.

Chicago Bears vs. Carolina Panthers Recap

First Half

The Chicago Bears received the ball first to begin this showdown at Soldier Field but were forced to punt. The defense forced the Panthers to punt after nine plays and the Bears got the ball back.

The Bears punted after six plays and former Chicago receiver, Ihmir Smith-Marsette. returned it 79 yards for a touchdown. The Panthers lead 7-0.

When the Bears got back on offense, Tyson Bagent led a drive to the 49-yard line. Cairo Santos lined up for a field goal and nailed it, but a penalty on Cody Whitehair negated the points. They lined up again, from 54 yards out, and Santos nailed it again.

Leading 7-3, the Panthers' offense took over. Bryce Young led a drive and former Bears kicker, Eddy Pineiro, made a 33-yard field goal to extend the lead.

The slow first half continued as the Bears and Panthers traded punts before Cairo Santos added more points to the board. He made a 36-yard field goal cutting the Panthers lead to 10-6.

The defense stood their ground again on the next Panthers drive. They forced a three-and-out and pushed Carolina back six yards, forcing a punt from their own endzone.

The Bears got the ball back and Tyson Bagent went back to work. He led the Bears' offense 70 yards in nine plays and just over one minute. The Panthers were called for unnecessary roughness, giving the Bears a free 15 yards and Cole Kmet had a large gain into Carolina territory.

From 39 yards away, Cairo Santos nailed another field goal. The Bears went to the locker room at halftime losing 10-9.

Second Half

The Panthers got the ball first to open the third quarter. The Bears' defense stopped them, forcing another three-and-out for negative yards. But the offense responded with a three-and-out of their own and punted the ball right back.

The defense continued to control this game and Yannick Ngakoue sacked  Bryce Young, forcing another punt. But the punt didn't go very far and the Bears' had a great starting field position.

Bagent led the Bears down to the one-yard line and D'Onta Foreman finished it with a touchdown run.