CHICAGO — Points were hard to come by in the Carolina Panthers' Thursday night loss to the Chicago Bears where special teams proved pivotal.
Just one touchdown was scored on offense by either team in the 16-13 win for the Bears (3-7). Carolina's only touchdown came on a punt return.
Bryce Young orchestrated a drive that almost resulted in a game-tying field goal during the Panthers' final drive but Eddy Piñeiro missed a 59-yard field goal that sealed the win for Chicago. Young was the quarterback that the Panthers chose No. 1 overall in this year's draft after trading the pick from the Bears.
Carolina (1-8) had just 12 first downs in the game, three of them coming on that final 15-play drive that included two fourth-down conversions. Chicago had 21 first downs in the game and greatly controlled time of possession.
The Panthers scored first with a 79-yard punt return touchdown from Ihmir Smith-Marsette. During the return, Smith-Marsette broke a tackle, slipped through the middle of the Chicago defenders, and even juked the Bears punter on his way to his first career touchdown.
Scoring was at a premium for both teams throughout the night. A combined four field goals closed the scoring in the first half with the Panthers holding a 10-9 advantage.
Chicago took the lead on a drive that started at the Carolina 38-yard line after the Panthers were forced to punt deep in their own territory. The score gave the Bears a 16-10 lead late in the third quarter.
A few drives later, Young converted a 4th-and-6 to Tommy Tremble in Chicago territory to keep the Panthers alive. Carolina had to settle for a field goal, though, leaving the Bears with a 16-13 lead. The drive started in Chicago territory but two penalties later put Carolina on their own side of the field with a rare 1st-and-30.
The Panthers went on a 15-play 50-yard drive late in the fourth quarter where Young converted fourth downs on the ground and in the air but Piñeiro missed the kick that would have tied the game.
Punting was a key feature of the matchup as the game became a battle of field position. The teams combined for 12 punts on the night, with the Panthers' Johnny Hekker and the Bears' Trenton Gill both averaging 45 yards per punt and landed three each inside the 20.
Young completed 21 of 38 passes for 185 yards passing. He was sacked three times by the Bears, who came into the game with the fewest sacks in the NFL.
Chuba Hubbard led Carolina on the ground with just 23 yards rushing.
The Bears saw rookie Tyson Bagent lead a slow, mistake-free game with 162 yards passing while completing 20 of 33 attempts.
The Panthers' next game is on Sunday, Nov. 19 against the Dallas Cowboys (5-3) at Bank of America Stadium. A loss for Carolina would secure their sixth consecutive losing season.