Chicago @ Carolina preview
Bank of America Stadium
Last Meeting ( Aug 9, 2013 ) Chicago 17, Carolina 24
The Carolina Panthers have faced plenty of issues while losing their past two games, not the least of which is quarterback Cam Newton's inability to be as effective running the ball as usual. Newton hopes to be closer to his typical dual-threat self when the Panthers host the Chicago Bears on Sunday. The Bears, who are coming off a 38-17 home loss to Green Bay, look to improve to 3-0 on the road.
The Panthers have lost two straight after a 2-0 start, but they're still tied with Atlanta atop the NFC South and expect their offense to improve as Newton recovers from offseason ankle surgery and a nagging rib injury. "You just know he wants to cut loose and do certain things," Panthers coach Ron Rivera told ESPN.com. "You can feel it, and a lot of times you see him start to do it, but it's coming. We've got to do this the right way." Chicago is still right in the mix in the wide-open NFC North but has to do a better job of protecting the ball - the Bears are plus-6 in turnover margin in their two victories and minus-4 in their two losses.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Panthers -2.5. O/U: 45.5
ABOUT THE BEARS (2-2): Chicago's offense put up a season-high 496 total yards against the Packers — including a whopping 235 on the ground — but was hurt by two Jay Cutler interceptions in Green Bay territory that led to Packers touchdowns. Matt Forte, who had 122 rushing yards last week, should be able to keep it going, as the two highest rushing totals of his career have come against Carolina (205 in 2011 and 166 in 2010). The Panthers' defense has been gashed for 454 yards in each of the past two games, getting hurt badly by the run in a loss to Pittsburgh two weeks ago and having a tough time against the pass in last week's loss at Baltimore.
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (2-2): Carolina's biggest issue has been losing the battle at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. The Panthers rank 29th in rushing offense (71 yards per game) and 27th against the run (140.8). The backfield has been decimated by injuries, prompting the team to sign veteran Chris Ogbonnaya to join Darrin Reaves among the healthy backs. One of the few brights spots on offense has been receiver Kelvin Benjamin, who was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month after leading all first-year players with 329 receiving yards in September.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Rivera played nine seasons in Chicago and had stints on the Bears' coaching staff, as defensive quality control coach in 1997-98 and defensive coordinator from 2004-06.
2. Benjamin has recorded a TD reception of 25 yards or longer in three of his first four NFL games.
3. The Bears are 2-0 when outgaining their opponent and 0-2 when they are outgained.
PREDICTION: Panthers 20, Bears 17