Chicago Bears logo. (Courtesy: NFL)
In a match up that would determine future top 10 draft picks, the Chicago Bears earned a 16-13 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Thursday, November 9, at Soldier Field.
Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent finished the night completing 20-of-33 passes for 162 yards and led the team to their 3rd victory of the season. He reached 850 career passing yards in the fourth quarter, according to the Bears.
“Happy for the guys in the locker room,” said coach Matt Eberflus. “They are excited to win this game. Going 2-0 on Thursday night, that was a big emphasis this week, and the guys did a nice job throughout the course of the game. I wanted to thank the Bears fans again. They do a great job with being on third down and getting loud when they’re supposed to, and it’s really an advantage for us on defense when we get to third down there, so they did a really good job there.”
For the offense, wide receiver DJ Moore caught his 50th pass on the season. He finished the game with five catches for 58 yards. Running Back D’Onta Foreman powered his way into the endzone for a four-yard touchdown to give the Bears a 16-10 lead after the successful extra point. The drive by the Bears offense capped off a nine-play, 38-yard drive (6:33).
The touchdown marked Foreman’s third rushing touchdown of the season and the 13th rushing touchdown of his career. In the first quarter, he passed 2,200 rushing yards for his career and 300 on the season. Foreman finished the game with 21 carries for 80 yards with one touchdown and two catches for 12 yards.
For the defense, linebacker TJ Edwards recorded his 100th tackle of the season in the second quarter. Amongst Bears defenders through the first 10 Weeks, Edwards is ranked first in total tackles (110). Coming into the game, he ranked second in the NFL in tackles and leads the NFC. He finished the game with 12 tackles (five solo).
This marked his sixth game this season with 10+ tackles and his ninth time leading all Bears defenders in tackles. Defensive lineman Yannick Ngakoue got to the quarterback for a sack that led to a Panthers punt.
This marked Ngakoue’s third sack of the season and 68th of his career. This was also his 70th tackle for loss in his career. Defensive tackles Justin Jones and Rasheem Green also recorded sacks.
The Bears’ defense ended with 3.0 sacks on the evening making it the third game this season with multiple sacks. In addition to his sack, Jones recorded three quarterback hits, including the 30th of his career. This set a new career-high in QBHs for Jones. He finished the game with three tackles (all solo) with 1.0 sack and three QBHs.
Final Score: Bears 16, Panthers 13
With the win, the Bears are now 3-7 on the season. The team will play their next game against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, November 19, on the road. Game time 12 p.m.
(Information courtesy of the Chicago Bears).
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago.
