The Panthers face a stout Bears defense that’s trying to prop up a struggling offense.
The 2024 Chicago Bears are like the 2023 Carolina Panthers in a lot of ways, except they’ve been normalized to fit within a standard deviation of the average NFL team. Like if you took last year’s Panthers and made them almost average. At any rate, their offense is struggling under the watch of a highly anticipated first overall pick. The defense has been good, but they’ve been unable to consistently withstand the amount of possessions and short fields they’ve been subjected to on a weekly basis.
That said, the Bears are still a 2-2 football team that can pose problems for the Panthers. The offense might find it tough to move the ball, but they need to get some points on the board to help their struggling defense. Here’s how they can do that.
- Get off to a fast start. The Carolina Andy Daltons have been very productive on their opening drives. They got stopped at the one last week, but they’ve driven the length of the field both times. Getting points on the board early and making the Bears play catchup should bode well. Caleb Williams has a looked uncomfortable behind a woeful offensive line, and getting him in a hole can make him press and force him into mistakes. He’s thrown four picks this season and is more likely to add to that total if the Panthers offense makes him press.
- Let Chuba cook. The Bears haven’t been quite as a good against the run as they have against the pass. They allowed Jonathan Taylor and Kyren Williams to average almost five yards per carry and both found the endzone. Hubbard has been lights out in recent week with Andy Dalton providing a threat of a passing game. He’s going to need to carry that momentum into Week 4.
- Stay patient in the passing game. The Bears have one of the better secondaries in the league and have intercepted five passes so far this season (fourth in the league). They don’t generate a ton of pressure, and their best pass rusher is on the injury report with an ankle injury. Andy Dalton needs to make sure he takes care of the ball and is selective with his attempts at attacking the Bears down the field. There will be big plays to be had, but they’ll be a little bit riskier than normal.
- Keep getting Xavier Legette involved. The Panthers rookie first round pick showed some really good flashes last Sunday, but he also got a case of the dropsies in the later portions of the game. The Panthers need Legette to be good, and it looks like he very much can be. Drops are usually a confidence issue, and the best way to help with a confidence issue is to show the player that he’s still trusted. The South Carolina product should get another healthy dose of targets, and he gives the offense their best chance to create explosive plays.
The Bears have the best defense the Panthers have played with Dalton at the helm, but he’s proven that he can move the ball for his team. It’ll probably be an uglier, lower scoring game than we’ve seen in the last couple of weeks, but that could stand to benefit the Panthers.