Bears take second straight win of the season 36-10 over Panthers
CHICAGO (AP/CBS) — Caleb Williams threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns in his best performance to date, DJ Moore caught both scoring passes and had 105 yards receiving against his former team, and the Chicago Bears beat the Carolina Panthers 36-10 on Sunday.
The Bears (3-2) won their second straight after dropping two in a row, with the two key pieces they acquired as a result of a blockbuster trade with Carolina in 2023 leading the way. It was also the Bears' eighth win at Soldier Field.
The Bears also got a big performance for the second straight week from D'Andre Swift. He had 120 yards from scrimmage and a TD.
Bears heading to the locker room happy after a dominating 36-10 win over the Panthers as they improve to 3-2. pic.twitter.com/t6FpBiKzly
— Matt Zahn (@mattzahnsports) October 6, 2024
Williams picked apart a banged-up defense that ranks among the NFL's worst. The No. 1 overall draft pick completed 20 of 29 passes with no interceptions and a 126.2 rating that was his best.
The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner out of Southern California might have been playing for the Panthers if not for that trade in 2023. Carolina sent Moore and the No. 9 overall pick to Chicago for the top selection in the draft that year. The Bears also got the Panthers' 2024 first-rounder that wound up being the first overall pick as part of that deal.
Moore, who caught five passes for 58 yards in a win over Carolina last year, had five receptions. He delivered a 34-yard touchdown in the first quarter and a 30-yarder near the end of the first half.
Swift ran for 73 yards and a touchdown and added 47 yards receiving after picking up 165 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown the previous week against the Los Angeles Rams.
Roschon Johnson ran for two touchdowns, including one in the fourth quarter that was followed by a skirmish in the end zone and ejections for Chicago's Matt Pryor and Carolina's Jaycee Horn. The Bears then went for a 2-point conversion, and the pass failed.
Kevin Byard got his 29th career interception. Gervon Dexter had a sack and a fumble recovery.
The Bears extended the longest current home winning streak in the NFL to eight games. It's their best stretch at Soldier Field since they won 10 in a row from the 2005 to 2006 seasons.
Andy Dalton had a rough outing in his third start since Carolina (1-4) benched last year's No. 1 pick Bryce Young. The veteran was 18 of 28 for 136 yards with an interception and got sacked three times.
Young replaced him in the closing minutes and was 4 of 7 for 58 yards and got sacked once.
Chuba Hubbard ran for 97 yards and a touchdown after going for a combined 218 yards in the previous two weeks. He gave the Panthers a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter when he broke through a hole and went 38 yards for a touchdown, but it was all Bears after that.
The Bears scored touchdowns on its next two possessions, including its first in an opening quarter this season when Williams found Moore wide open on a crossing route for a 34-yarder.
Maybe the best part of the Bears' effort in the game Sunday was that they never gave a bad Panthers team any hope. After giving up an early touchdown, the defense locked in—and the offense had it rolling from the jump in easily the Bears most dominant performance of the young season.
"Great team effort—guys got sacks, turnovers, I mean, in all different varieties. The only one that was missing was a sacked fumble," said Byard. "So like I said, it was an exciting day. That's what it's supposed to look like, though. I mean, the standard that we play with, and that's how we want to play every game."
The Bears' uptempo offense played fast Sunday, but never seemed rushed. Williams seemed to be comfortable, and his overall command of the offense continues to improve.
"Offensively, we've just been growing, and I thought that was one of the better games I've been a part of since being here, honestly," said Bears tight end Cole Kmet. "Ran the ball when we needed to really well—you know, Caleb was really effective in the pass game with the in the wind, and I don't think that should be looked over. It was a really though day in the wind."
Kmet said Williams is not only improving with his passing, but reading the defense—helping the team immensely with their run game.
Williams himself said the windy conditions Sunday were "weird." He said the gusts affected his first pass, but he was still able to complete all those passes for 304 yards.
Injuries
Panthers: TE Tommy Tremble was evaluated for a concussion after he fumbled late in the first half and left the game. ... LB Jadeveon Clowney (shoulder) exited after he was hurt away from the ball on Swift's 42-yard reception late in the second quarter. ... RT Taylor Moton (elbow) left the game, and WR Xavier Legette (shoulder) and C Austin Corbett (biceps) got banged up.
Bears: LG Teven Jenkins, who was questionable with a rib issue, left with an ankle injury.
Up next
Panthers: Host Atlanta next Sunday.
Bears: Play Jacksonville in London next Sunday.