There aren’t many wins between the 1-7 Carolina Panthers and the 2-7 Chicago Bears—so Thursday night won’t exactly be a midseason playoff preview. But there are quite a few subplots, as the paths of the two sides intimately intertwined earlier this year.
So, let’s go through the biggest storylines of this Week 10 showdown.
Bounce-back Bryce?
Bryce Young is coming off his worst showing yet, as turned a salivating matchup against one of the league’s worst defenses into a three-interception performance.
Oh, and it didn’t help that two of those interceptions wound up as pick-sixes . . . by the same player. Oh, and it also didn’t help that C.J. Stroud, the quarterback selected right behind Young this past spring, tossed for 470 yards and five touchdowns on the same afternoon.
Luckily for the No. 1 pick, the short turnaround will give him the chance to put that nightmarish day behind him as soon as possible. He could also be given a prime opportunity for a bounce-back outing, as he’s facing the fifth-worst pass defense in the NFL.
Defenseless
While the four-day about-face may be good for a quick flush, it’s not good for the body. And unfortunately for the Panthers, a lot of theirs are currently on the mend.
Carolina’s defense—which is already without the likes cornerback Jaycee Horn, linebackers Shaq Thompson, Justin Houston and Yetur Gross-Matos and safety Jeremy Chinn—won’t have two key starters in Brian Burns and CJ Henderson. Both sustained concussions in the Week 9 loss to the Indianapolis Colts and have been ruled out.
Perhaps the unit is getting a break from across the way, as the Bears are set to start undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent under center in place of an injured Justin Fields. Either way, defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and his men are going to have to dig deep with what they’ve got—even if it’s not much.
Blood and Guts 2?
On Sept. 28, 2014, six and a half months after being released by Carolina, Steve Smith Sr. achieved revenge. The carnivorous wideout ate the Panthers up for 139 yards and two touchdowns in leading his Baltimore Ravens to a 38-10 win—an outing that was then dubbed as the “Blood and Guts” game.
So, will Thursday night host the reboot?
Moore, from the moment he was taken by the organization with the 24th overall pick of the 2018 draft, drew comparisons to Smith Sr.—some of which came from Smith Sr. himself. And while the mild-mannered Moore has a much different personality compared to the often spicy Smitty, he has a very similar opportunity ahead of him.
The fourth-leading receiver in franchise history was traded, perhaps unceremoniously, as part of the massive deal that landed the Panthers this year’s No. 1 overall selection. He may be able to make them regret their decision, at least for one night, with a remake of that gory afternoon from 2014.
