Week 4: Carolina Panthers

Coming into the game against the Carolina Panthers, the Bears were looking at the game as a critical one with the fears of falling farther behind in their own division. The game did not start off great for the Bears defense, who basically allowed the Panthers to march down the field and do whatever they pleased against the unit. However, the Bears toughened in the red zone and limited the Panther only to a field goal. As the Bears offense took the field, they showed that they were going to be committed to the running game by opening the game with eight running plays on a drive consisting of nine plays followed by the game tying field goal. Throughout the game, it seemed as if the Bears were able to do whatever they wanted on the ground against the Panthers, as Matt Forte racked up a career high 205 yards rushing. He displayed his ability to an elite running back, with his great bursts of speed, his vision and his willingness to get the tough yards. Many Bears fans may be wondering why the team hasn't been running the ball with this conviction throughout the season, seeming that they dominated the running game against the Panthers.. However, the offense as a whole still was not clicking. Jay Cutler finished the game going 9-17 with 102 yards passing and was sacked once. Even though the running game carried the load for the offense, the passing game never seemed to get going and that could be a growing concern if the Bears are going to look to build on this performance. It is going to be essential that the Bears deploy a balanced attack on offense that not only includes a strong running game but also a passing game that can attach down field. The Bears had a great contribution from the special team unit that has been essentially not existent for the last few weeks. Devin Hester, Johnny Knox and Khalil Bell combined for 125 kick return yards, and consistently gave the Bears better than average field position throughout the game. This has not been consistently seen throughout the first three weeks and could be a huge key to the success of the offense for the remainder of the season. Devin Hester was also up to his usual madness in the punt return game, as he returned a punt for a touchdown in the second quarter which gave him sole possession of the NFL record for punt returns. He however did show a sign of selfishness, when he did three consecutive somersaults in the end zone which resulted in a 15 yard penalty eventually lead to a touchdown by the Panthers. Contributions from both the punt and kick return units have always yielded well for the Bears and could potentially lead to go things for the Bears. On the defensive side of the ball, the Bears still seemed to struggle to shut down their opponents. They allowed the Panthers to gain 169 yards on the ground while compiling 374 through the air, which is not something Bears fans are accustom to seeing. The secondary still seemed to be lost without the presence of Chris Harris and will gladly welcome him back whenever he is healthy. Whether it be a schematically adjustment or a technical adjustment, the Bears are going to need to tighten up on defense or this team will struggle to win games. They will need to work on improving and show it next week, seeing as they play the Lions who have numerous weapons on the offensive side of the ball. In the realm of things, the game was a success seeing that the Bears won, but they will need to continue to improve both offensively and defensively to be considered a contender in the NFC. So until next time Chicagoan’s, Bear Down!