Eddy Piñeiro’s 39-yard field goal cut the deficit to 16-13 early in the fourth quarter, but his potentially game-winning 59-yard attempt failed badly with 1:35 left.
With the win, the Bears improved to 3-7 and are 3-3 since their 0-4 start.
“I really thought we played some good complementary football,” coach Matt Eberflus said. “I really thought the defense did a really good job most of the day creating some short fields for our offense and that was good. We took advantage of some of them. It was such a game. Both defenses played well today. “I think overall we handled it well and put ourselves in a position to win the game.”
After five turnovers in last Sunday’s loss to the Saints, the Bears’ offense played a flawless game with no turnovers or sacks allowed. Quarterback Tyson Bagent, starting for the fourth straight season in place of the injured Justin Fields, completed 20 of 33 passes for 162 yards and a passer rating of 73.0.
“He’s always done a really good job of avoiding sacks in the four games he’s played,” Eberflus said. “What he did well today is he didn’t put the ball in danger and gave us a chance to win.”
Two former Panthers helped propel the Bears’ offense: Foreman rushed for 80 yards on 21 carries and DJ Moore caught five passes for a game-high 58 yards.
The Bears’ defensive line put constant pressure on quarterback Bryce Young, with tackle Justin Jones and ends Yannick Ngakoue and Rasheem Green registering sacks. End Montez Sweat recorded three quarterback hits.
The Panthers took a 7-0 lead when Ihmir Smith-Marsette scored a 79-yard punt return touchdown midway through the first quarter. Smith-Marsette, who played six games for the Bears last season, broke three tackles en route to his first career touchdown.
The Bears cut the deficit to 7-3 on Cairo Santos’ 54-yard field goal. This came after Santos’ apparent 49-yarder was negated by a false start from Cody Whitehair.
Carolina extended its lead to 10-3 on Pineiro’s 33-yard field goal early in the second period. The kick was set up by Young’s 45-yard completion to receiver Mike Strachan to the Chicago 26.
Santos responded with two more field goals, a 36-yarder with 3:06 left in the second quarter and a 39-yarder as time expired in the half, bringing the Bears to within 10-9. The second came after Bagent completed a nine-play, 70-yard drive in just 1:12.
“I’m definitely proud of the boys for how they handled the end of the half,” said Eberflus. “I survived the two minutes down there really well. Bagent did a really good job there.”