The Chicago Bears let another winnable game slip away in New Orleans. Despite keeping it close with the Saints for 60 minutes, five turnovers and eight penalties did them in. Alas, the team doesn't have much time to assess what happened. The Bears have four days to turn around and prefer for their second Thursday Night Football game. This time, it will be at Soldier Field against the Carolina Panthers. While this is hardly the primetime matchup everybody hoped for, it is still a game that carries a ton of weight.
Right now, the Bears are 2-7 and the Panthers are 1-7. While both teams hold top-5 draft slots, Chicago controls both of them. A win over Carolina pushes them to 1-8, tied for the worst record in the league with the Arizona Cardinals. A tiebreaker should give the Bears back control of the #1 pick. Not only is it possible Justin Fields makes his return on Thursday, but there is additional injury news from the other side. According to multiple reports, star Panthers pass rusher Brian Burns left Sunday's game against Indianapolis with a concussion.
It is likely he won't play in the game.
"The Panthers lost a couple of key defensive players during Sunday’s 27-13 loss to the Colts and there’s a good chance that they’ll be without both of them against the Bears on Thursday night.
Edge rusher Brian Burns and cornerback C.J. Henderson both suffered concussions against Indianapolis. After the game, head coach Frank Reich acknowledged that the steps both players need to take to progress through the league’s concussion protocol will make it difficult for either one of them to play this week."
The Chicago Bears not facing Burns is a gigantic break.
He is the best player Carolina has. Without him, their pass rush can best be called inadequate. Most of it has come from Frankie Luvu blitzing and some interior push from Derrick Brown. Veteran Justin Houston and Yetur Gross-Matos haven't done much. Keep in mind Carolina is 29th in the league against the run. The only reason they've been in games is because of their stout pass defense. Losing Burns is a grievous blow to that. If D'Onta Foreman can get going on the ground, it could be a strong night for the offense.
This is a game the Chicago Bears cannot and should not lose. It is the only one left on their schedule that holds any meaning. They aren't making the playoffs. Their one hope is to do their part to make sure Carolina competes for that #1 spot next April. Fields will be motivated. He only has eight games left to save his job. So does Matt Eberflus. Both desperately need a victory. If they can't take down an opponent this bad, without their best player, and at home? It would be the final insult to an already lost season.
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