Quarterback Cam Newton had a season-low passer rating (84.8), but that number was affected by drops and an interception that came off a tipped pass. The interception was the first thrown by the Panthers this year. Tight end Greg Olsen caught touchdowns near the end of each half. Receiver Kelvin Benjamin had his worst game as a pro, catching just three of his 11 targets.

With DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert out with injuries, Carolina’s backfield was made up of undrafted rookie Darrin Reaves and Chris Ogbonnaya, who spent Week 4 watching games at home. Reaves had a team-high 11 carries, but he didn’t have much room to run for more than the 35 yards he gained. Ogbonnaya scored just the second rushing touchdown of his career. Fozzy Whittaker was active, but he was held out to rest his sore quad. Newton had a season-high six carries for just nine yards. 

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Bears quarterback Jay Cutler had just eight incompletions on 36 attempts, but one-third of those throws were tosses to running back Matt Forte. Cutler helped Chicago capitalize on Panthers’ turnovers with two first-half touchdowns, but he also threw a couple interceptions, including some fourth-quarter airmail to safety Thomas DeCoud. The Panthers, who had just one sack the last two weeks, brought Cutler down four times.

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After allowing the Steelers and Ravens to combine for nearly 400 rushing yards, the Panthers held the Bears to just 85. Chicago rushed only eight times for 26 yards in the second half. Making the Bears one-dimensional was the biggest key to the Panthers’ takeaways and sacks in the final two quarters.

A heads-up play by rookie Philly Brown gave the Panthers their first punt return touchdown in 11 seasons. But Brown nearly gave away another punt, and he was shaky on a couple other catches. Graham Gano made his only field goal. Brad Nortman didn’t have his best day, but he did uncork a 62-yard punt.

Head coach Ron Rivera beat the Bears for the first time in three tries. While Chicago shot itself in the foot too often, Rivera deserves credit for not allowing his team to fold coming off two blowout losses and down 21-7 in the second quarter. Offensive coordinator Mike Shula helped kick-start his unit with a mix of no-huddle plays. Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott was able to scale back blitzes once the Bears became one-dimensional.