CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A few thoughts on the Chicago Bears' 31-24 loss to the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium.
What it means: Let's stop calling Chicago's offense the strength of this team because it's clearly not, and we've now got five games of evidence to prove it. With the perfect opportunity to bounce back from last week's loss to Green Bay, which would have kept them within a game of the division lead, the Bears squandered a 24-21 lead by turning the ball over on back-to-back possessions to lose their second consecutive game. Coming into the game, the Bears had turned the ball over just once in the fourth quarter in the first four games. With Chicago playing five of the first eight contests on the road, the Bears need to stay at or above .500 going into the Nov. 2 bye as the second half of the schedule sets up nicely. The club hurt its chances of doing that Sunday.
Stock Watch: Defensive tackle Stephen Paea put together a subpar showing in the loss to the Packers, but the fourth-year veteran bounced back in a major way against the Panthers. Paea won't receive much credit for his contribution, but he delivered a monstrous blow to Cam Newton during Carolina's first series, which led to the Panthers' training staff working on Newton's right elbow. The quarterback never seemed to be the same in the first half, and wasn't able to bounce back until the third quarter. Once Newton found his rhythm, Paea sacked Newton on a crucial third down for an 8-yard loss with the Bears ahead 24-21.
More takeaways/points: The Bears entered Sunday tied for third in the NFL in points scored off takeaways (35). The club racked up three more takeaways against the Panthers with an Isaiah Frey fumble recovery, a Lamarr Houston fumble recovery and a Lance Briggs interception. The Bears scored 14 points off those takeaways, which required the offense to move the ball just a grand total of 41 yards in two minutes and eight seconds.
Game ball: Matt Forte squandered away the game with his fourth-quarter fumble, but you can't deny his contributions in this loss. Coming off his first 100-yard rushing performance of the season, Forte rushed for 61 yards and contributed a team-high 105 yards and a touchdown as a receiver out of the backfield. The touchdown marked Forte's first of the season.
What's next: The Bears receive a day off on Monday and return to Halas Hall on Wednesday to begin preparations for Sunday's matchup at Atlanta.
