Three big-picture takeaways from Thursday night’s Panthers Bears game:
Justin time?
The Bears need quarterback Justin Fields back. He wasn’t cleared for Thursday’s game but has 10 days until the Bears play the Lions.
“Making really good progress,” general manager Ryan Poles told the team’s official pregame show on ESPN 1000. “You can see the velocity starting to pick up. Where he started working with a glove, now he’s using his bare hand and throwing like he did before. The next step is getting more team reps, reps from under center and getting his timing, confidence and accuracy back on track.”
DBs back
The Bears downgraded Tyrique Stevenson to questionable Thursday afternoon with an ankle injury, but the rookie cornerback later started opposite Jaylon Johnson. Thursday marked the first time since Week 1 that all five members of the Bears’ starting defensive backfield — Eddie Jackson, Jaquan Brisker, nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon, Johnson and Stevenson — started.
Division street
Coach Matt Eberflus hasn’t won an NFC North game in his Bears career. He’ll get a chance to in the next three games: at the Lions, at the Vikings and then, after a bye, at home against the Lions.
