The 2-2 Chicago Bears will play the 1-3 Carolina Panthers at Soldier Field in a Week 5 matchup. Here’s what you need to know before kickoff (noon, Fox-Ch. 32).
5 things to watch for — plus our Week 5 picks
The Bears continue their run of playing against some of the league’s worst defensive teams, this time facing an injury-plagued Panthers unit that gives up 358 yards per game (27th) and 5.77 yards per play (26th).
Like in Week 4, the Bears again could rely on running back D’Andre Swift, who had 93 rushing yards against the Rams. But everyone is watching to see when Williams’ connection with wide receiver DJ Moore will break open. Moore, who signed a $110 million extension, is averaging 47.3 receiving yards per game.
Williams and Moore connected for a 9-yard touchdown pass against the Rams. But there also have been notable plays when Moore and Williams haven’t been on the same page, including what should have been a second-quarter touchdown Sunday. Read more here.
Dexter a new player for the Bears
The Bears didn’t have a long to-do list for Gervon Dexter Sr. during his exit interview after his rookie season, but one thing they recommended was that he dedicate himself to making the most of his athletic ability.
He returned at about 309 pounds, the weight he says he’s at now, and while that’s down only 10 from 2023, he looks completely different. He didn’t just lose weight, he redistributed it in his frame, adding lean muscle. He enters Week 5 with three sacks, tied for second in the league among interior linemen with four others.
“I had to do it the right way,” Dexter, 22, said. “And really for me it was the late eating. I had bad habits of eating late-night snacks and too much sugar. I ate more protein with less carbs — heavy protein and less carbs to lean out.” Read more here.
‘Shoutout to Ryan Poles. And sorry to the Panthers.’
March 10, 2023. Remember that?
Remember that fateful Friday afternoon when Bears general manager Ryan Poles pulled the trigger on a landmark trade, sending the No. 1 pick in that spring’s NFL draft to the Panthers in exchange for a world of opportunity?
“I know about it a little bit,” Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams said Wednesday at Halas Hall. “But not too much. I’m obviously grateful it happened and to be a Chicago Bear. But I’m not too deep into the history of what happened.”
Grab a seat then, young man. Read more here.
Ope
Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady revealed that he seriously considered joining the Bears in the 2020 offseason before ultimately picking the Buccaneers.
“Ultimately Chicago was a team, and I never told that story before, they were very stealth in their recruitment, and I was seriously considering them,” Brady said.
The Bears instead acquired Nick Foles from the Jaguars to compete with Mitch Trubisky. A year later, they parted with Trubisky and drafted Justin Fields. Two years later, they fired GM Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy. Read more here.
London Calling
Grab your passports, the Bears are heading abroad.
They’ll be the host team at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next Sunday against the Jaguars (8:30 a.m., NFL Network). It will be the first of back-to-back London games for the Jaguars, who will play the Patriots the following week at Wembley Stadium.
The Bears haven’t played an international game since a group led by Khalil Mack and Chase Daniel lost 24-21 to the Raiders on Oct. 6, 2019, also at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Bears also played a regular-season game in London in 2011 and a preseason game there in 1986.
About Week 4
The hole opened toward the Soldier Field end zone in front of Bears running back D’Andre Swift, but first he had an obstacle to clear.
“I saw somebody on the ground, and then I kind of lifted my leg up,” he said. “And after that, it was just: Run.”
After Swift hurdled Rams outside linebacker Michael Hoecht, he cut away from diving Rams safety Kamren Kinchens and raced the final 20 yards into the end zone for a 36-yard touchdown. The score with 12 minutes and 26 seconds to play turned out to be the winner in a 24-18 victory that broke a two-game losing streak. Read more here.
