The Carolina Panthers faced off against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday, in what turned into a runaway for the Bears. The Bears’ defense proved to be too strong for quarterback Andy Dalton and the Panthers’ offense. Why did the Panthers struggle so much against the Bears in week five?
Panthers Fall Short in Chicago
Dalton Performs Underwhelmingly
Dalton struggled to make an impression against Chicago. He failed to throw for any touchdowns and was sacked a whopping three times. Dalton also threw an interception. The main issue for Dalton was the lack of momentum the Panthers had during their offensive possessions.
During Dalton’s first two games as starting quarterback, he took the reigns early and gained momentum for the offense. However, Dalton couldn’t lead his offense to the same kind of success they previously had. The Panthers were forced to punt the ball on multiple occasions, and he took fewer risks than he usually does. Whether this was due to playcalling or Dalton’s decision, the team suffered greatly from it.
Dalton had 18 completions on 28 attempts. He threw for 136 yards and had a passer rating of 61%, which is Dalton’s worst passer rating of the season so far. Dalton struggled to find his receivers throughout the game and relied on Chuba Hubbard to carry the ball forward. He will want to shake off this game and look to lead the Panthers to their second victory of the season against division rivals, Atlanta Falcons.
Lack of Offensive Plays
Things started to look good for the Panthers after Hubbard’s 38-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter. But after this, the Panthers failed to convert on a lot of their plays. They struggled on third downs, only converting on three of twelve of their third downs. The Panthers also only had two attempts in the red zone, whereas the Bears had four. The Bears converted three of four of their red zone attempts into touchdowns.
The offense didn’t look as explosive as they have been in the past weeks. Diontae Johnson struggled to find space, only catching three passes for 23 yards. Rookie Xavier Legette also saw his numbers diminish, in part due to an injury that would keep him out for the remainder of the game. He only recorded one reception for eight yards.
Hubbard was the only bright spot for the offense, particularly because of that rushing touchdown. He piled up 97 rushing yards in the game, his largest being 38 yards for a touchdown. Hubbard was ineffective in the passing game and ended up with negative yardage.
Injuries Piling Up
The Panthers were missing key players, which didn’t help on the defensive side of things. Both Shaq Thompson and Derrick Brown are slated to miss the remainder of the season. The two defensive players will certainly be missed by the Panthers. Inside linebacker Josey Jewell missed the game due to both hamstring and groin injuries. Another defensive injury happened during the game when outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney left the game in the second quarter with a shoulder injury.
Throughout the game, the Panthers had five starters leave due to injury. Veteran Taylor Moton never returned to the game citing an elbow injury as the reason. Before this injury, Moton had played 6,758 successive snaps, which dates back to 2018. Center Austin Corbett left the game with a biceps injury and did not return. Tight end Tommy Tremble was evaluated for a concussion after a rough hit and wide receiver Legette also left the game with a shoulder injury.
Looking Ahead
The Panthers will face the Falcons in another divisional matchup. The Falcons are coming off a big win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, after an elite performance from quarterback Kirk Cousins. The Panthers will look to stop the Falcons from gaining more momentum. The injuries suffered against the Bears will be key to keep an eye on going into week six and the Panthers will hope that they will get some of their players back before kickoff.
Main Image: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images
