Tag: Chicago Bears vs. Carolina Panthers

2023 schedule: Bears to play in 4 prime-time games

The Bears are set to play in four prime-time games this season. Here is a quick breakdown of each matchup.

The 2023 NFL schedule is officially out and fans of the Chicago Bears finally know when and where the team will play this fall. The Bears released their schedule on Thursday evening and it features plenty of high-profile matchups from the NFC and AFC. Four of those games are set to be featured in prime time, with the potential for more.

Here is a quick breakdown of the Bears’ prime-time matchups that are solidified for the 2023 season.

Predicting the Bears’ prime-time matchups in 2023

Which Bears games will be featured in prime time this season? We make our predictions ahead of the 2023 schedule release.

The annual NFL schedule extravaganza is finally upon us and soon, fans of every team will learn when and where they will play their opponents during the 2023 season. The NFL is set to announce the complete schedule for the 2023 season this Thursday at 7 p.m. CT. That announcement also includes the prime-time schedule, where specific matchups will be picked to be featured nationally on Thursday nights, Sunday nights, Monday nights, some Saturday nights, and special holidays.

For the Chicago Bears, national interest may appear to be lower than in previous years. They were the worst team in 2022, coming off a 3-14 record, and weren’t particularly competitive to close out the year. But with a young nucleus led by quarterback Justin Fields and a team that looks revamped following a busy spring, the Bears could be in more for more prime-time slots than we think. Chicago has had three or more games featured in prime time every season dating back to 2016 and there’s no reason to think that changes this year.

Here are our predictions for the Bears’ 2023 prime-time matchups.

Throwback Thursday: Bears S Eddie Jackson’s coming out party

On this day in Bears history, safety Eddie Jackson scores two touchdowns to lead the Bears past the Panthers.

Every Thursday throughout the 2020 regular season, Bears Wire will take a look back at some of the most memorable moments in Bears history that occurred on or near that given day.

October 22, 2017: Eddie Jackson scores two touchdowns to lead the Bears past the Panthers

Remember when Chicago Bears All-Pro safety Eddie Jackson was just a mid-round rookie who had much to prove following a broken leg suffered in college? It feels like a lifetime ago that he was an unknown commodity, but that changed on this day three years ago when the Bears took on the Carolina Panthers on a rainy, October afternoon.

Like most games against Carolina, which always seem to take place in the month of October for some reason, this one was painful to watch at times. The Bears generated very little offense, totaling just 153 total yards, 70 of which came on one play as quarterback Mitchell Trubisky found rookie running back Tarik Cohen for a 70-yard gain. Trubisky only threw the ball seven times but he didn’t need to light it up that day thanks to Jackson and the defense.

Jackson shined on this day, scooping up a fumbled pitch from Panthers quarterback Cam Newton to wide receiver Curtis Samuel, returning the ball for the game’s first score. Later in the half, Newton’s pass to wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin was tipped and intercepted by Jackson, who once again ran to the endzone to put the Bears up 14-0. Jackson became the first player in NFL history to have multiple defensive touchdowns of 75 yards or more. The former Alabama Crimson Tide star has himself a day, but the rest of the Bears defense showed up to play as well.

Newton and the Panthers offense scored just three points on the day and threw two interceptions while getting sacked five times on the day. Neither offense performed well by any means but the Bears were able to play mistake-free football to preserve the lead. This win also marked the Bears first winning streak in nearly two years. While it didn’t mean much in the end seeing as the team only had five victories on the season, this game marked the beginning of the Eddie Jackson era in Chicago.

Current and former teammates praise Bears DB Deandre Houston-Carson

Bears reserve safety DeAndre Houston-Carson has been instrumental in the Bears last two wins, and his teammates have nothing but respect.

In any NFL game, teams are always relying on their reserve players to step up when needed, whether they need a clutch catch, a game-stopping sack, or an interception. But when you think of key reserves on the Chicago Bears, defensive back DeAndre Houston-Carson probably doesn’t come to mind. It’s about time he does and his teammates will tell you why.

Houston-Carson has been instrumental in the Bears last two wins, deflecting quarterback Tom Brady’s final pass of the game in their win against the Tampa Buccaneers and intercepting Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater on Sunday.

Houston-Carson made these plays despite only playing 22 defensive snaps over the last two weeks. Even though he may see limited playing time outside special teams, Houston-Carson’s teammates, past and present, made sure everyone knew the type of guy he is.

Bears Pro-Bowl defensive end Akiem Hicks, one of the leaders of the defense, went out of his way to praise Houston-Carson.

“One of the most disciplined players I’ve ever seen,” he said on Twitter.

Inside linebacker Josh Woods also was excited for his special teams running mate, as well.

Then, former Bear and current Packers safety Adrian Amos, who played with Houston-Carson from 2016-18, joined in and agreed with Hicks, saying “nobody works harder” than No. 36.

The praise and notoriety is a long time coming for Houston-Carson. Coming in as a sixth-round draft pick out of William & Mary, Houston-Carson found his way in and out of the lineup during his rookie season. Then, in 2017, he finally carved out a spot for himself on special teams, forcing two fumbles during the season. He would earn a key spot on the unit moving forward and became reliable on coverage alongside players such as defensive back Sherrick McManis and wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson.

Now, pressed into defensive duty thanks to an injury suffered by safety Deon Bush, Houston-Carson is making the most of his opportunity over the last two weeks.

“He’s come up so big in these situations, and that’s what it’s all about,” Bears head coach Matt Nagy told Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun Times.

It’s unclear how long Bush will be sidelined, meaning Houston-Carson will continue to see snaps on defense. But even with Bush at full strength, Houston-Carson is making a case for more playing time. It sounds like his defensive teammates wouldn’t mind that one bit.

Eddie Jackson is not happy about another pick-6 negated by penalty

For the second time this season, Bears safety Eddie Jackson was robbed of a pick-six by a questionable pass interference call.

Bears safety Eddie Jackson has a penchant for making plays on defense since he arrived in the league four years ago. After all, Jackson’s five defensive touchdowns are the most in the NFL since his rookie season in 2017.

Although, there’s an argument to be made that Jackson should have eight defensive touchdowns with two scores this season.

But for the second time this season, Jackson was robbed of a pick-six by a questionable penalty. Jackson’s pick-six of Giants quarterback Daniel Jones was negated by a questionable pass interference call.

Then Sunday against the Panthers, Jackson intercepted a Teddy Bridgewater pass and returned it for a touchdown. The play was negated when cornerback Kyle Fuller was flagged for another questionable pass interference call.

Jackson should have two interceptions for two touchdowns this season. And once again, he made his annoyance with the refs clear with a pair of posts on Twitter.

The Bears were flagged 10 times for 92 yards, and there were a few costly ones that negated some pretty big plays on defense. There were several questionable calls in this game on both sides, but perhaps none more deflating than Jackson’s negated pick-six.

But when all was said and done, the Bears were able to defeat the Panthers 23-16 to improve to 5-1 on the season. And while it certainly would’ve been nice for Jackson to finally get his due this season, winning is the most important thing.

 

 

Instant analysis of Bears’ 23-16 win vs. the Panthers in Week 6

The Bears got off to a strong start and never looked back, improving to 5-1 after defeating the Panthers 23-16.

It was a strong start for the Chicago Bears as they were able to capitalize on a disastrous first possession by the Carolina Panthers. The Bears never looked back from that first possession and improved to 5-1 after defeating the Panthers 23-16.

The Bears defense did what they did best and kept the opponents offense in check. On that first possession of the game, the Bears were able to secure an interception to help the offense inside the 10-yard line. Nick Foles was able to find rookie tight end Cole Kmet to get the Bears on the board.

The Bears were able to force another turnover as Eddie Jackson knocked the ball out from former Bears running back Mike Davis then the game-winning interception by DeAndrew Houston-Carson. The Bears had other chances to get some takeaways, but those were neglected by penalties. For the second time this season, Jackson had a pick-six negated by penalty.

Another thing that hasn’t changed for the Bears is that the offense remains inconsistent. Foles started the game 11-for-12 and it seemed the Bears offense finally has found their stride, but after that start, the offense just ran out of gas.

The Bears were able to score another touchdown with a Foles quarterback sneak. The touchdown came in the third quarter, which means the Bears have finally scored in all four quarters this season.

Heading into the fourth quarter the Bears had a 20-6 lead, but the Panthers rallied a late comeback. Davis was able to score a touchdown, then a 48-yard field goal brought the Panthers within a touchdown to tie the game.

The Panthers were able to get the ball back with 5:12 remaining but the defense was able to force a turnover on downs. The Bears got the ball inside the two-minute warning but questionable play-calling gave the ball back to the Panthers.

With one timeout left the Panthers got the ball back, but on the first play on the drive, Bridgewater threw an interception to Houston-Carson to seal the 23-16 win.

The Bears continue to win close games and now sit comfortably with a 5-1 record as they are set to face the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night a football.

WATCH: Bears rookie TE Cole Kmet catches first career touchdown

Rookie TE Cole Kmet hasn’t been involve much on offense this season. But he was early against the Panthers with his first career TD.

The Chicago Bears top rookies have shined early in Carolina. After Bears rookie cornerback Jaylon Johnson tipped a pass by Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater into the hands of safety Tashaun Gipson, their other rookie finally made his presence felt on the offensive side.

Tight end Cole Kmet, who hasn’t been as involved in the offense as some might have hoped through five games, caught his first NFL touchdown pass from quarterback Nick Foles.

Facing third and long following a bizarre series that had the Bears at the Panthers goal line, Foles fired a precise pass to Kmet in the middle of the endzone for a nine-yard score. The rookie was covered well, but hauled in the pass to put the Bears up by a touchdown early in the game.

The catch was just Kmet’s second of the season. Just midway through the first quarter, the Bears have a 7-0 lead.

Bears Week 6 inactives: Brent Urban, John Jenkins active vs. Panthers

The Chicago Bears have released their inactives ahead of Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers.

The Chicago Bears have released their inactives ahead of their Week 6 game against the Carolina Panthers.

Nose tackle John Jenkins returns to the line-up after being on injured reserve for three weeks with a thumb injury. He brings some much-needed depth to the defensive line, especially as they prepare to face a run game that’s found success.

Defensive end Brent Urban, who has been a key reserve for this team, will play after being questionable with a knee injury. Offensive lineman Sam Mustipher is active for the first time in his young NFL career.

Safety Deon Bush had previously been ruled out against the Panthers. Other inactives for the Bears include cornerback Duke Shelley, left guard Arlington Hambright, receiver Riley Ridley and outside linebacker Trevis Gipson.

Bears final injury report: Deon Bush ruled out, Brent Urban questionable vs. Panthers

There are some injury designations to keep an eye on as the Bears prepare for their Week 6 game against the Panthers.

The Chicago Bears have released their final injury report ahead of Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers, and there’s some designations to keep an eye on heading into Week 6.

The Bears have ruled out Safety Deon Bush for Sunday, as he continues to battle a hamstring injury. He missed last week’s contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as well.

Chicago has also listed for four players as questionable against the Panthers, including some players at some key positions. Defensive end Brent Urban, who has been a key contributor on the defensive line, is questionable following limited participation in practice throughout the week.

The Bears also activated defensive tackle John Jenkins off injured reserve, where he served the previous three weeks with a thumb injury. Jenkins has been listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.

Offensive lineman Alex Bars, who filled in at left guard for an injured James Daniels last Thursday, has also been designated as questionable with a shoulder injury. He was a full participant in Thursday and Friday’s practices.

Matt Nagy says he hasn’t decided who will start at left guard for the Bears on Sunday. But it’ll come down to Bars and Rashaad Coward.

Special teams ace and defensive back Sherrick McManis has also been listed as questionable against the Panthers. He’s recovering from a hamstring injury that’s held him out of the last two games.

 

 

Bears injury report: Brent Urban limited, Deon Bush DNP on Thursday

The Chicago Bears released their Thursday injury report ahead of Sunday’s Week 6 game against the Carolina Panthers.

The Chicago Bears released their Thursday injury report ahead of Sunday’s Week 6 game against the Carolina Panthers, and there was some encouraging news for special teams.

Special teams ace and defensive back Sherrick McManis practiced in full for the first time in three weeks following a hamstring injury suffered against the Atlanta Falcons.

But safety Deon Bush remains sidelined by a similar hamstring injury, which has kept him out of last week’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He didn’t practice on Thursday, and his status for Sunday’s game remains up in the air.

Defensive end Brent Urban was once again limited on Thursday as he deals with a knee injury. Urban has been an important contributor for this Bears defense over the last few weeks, and they’ll certainly need him against an impressive Panthers offense.

The Bears likely won’t have to face running back Christian McCaffrey, who still hasn’t been activated from injured reserve with a high ankle injury. That means they’ll face former Bears running back Mike Davis heading into Sunday.