The Chicago Bears prevailed over the Carolina Panthers, 16-13, in the Thursday night game of Week 10 NFL. The result is a win-win for the victors, as they improve their record and own the pick of the losers in the upcoming NFL Draft, who are now fighting for the top of the NFL Draft order.
Only the Bears celebrate a night to forget against the Panthers.
As a fan of the sport, there will always come a time when a midweek game is punishing to watch. Luckily we had a good run of games in previous weeks, but streaks don't last forever and now we got a soporific game at Soldier Field in Chicago.
As two of the worst teams this season, the Panthers and Bears played a sluggish game that started 7-3 in the first quarter and with jobs were 10-9 at halftime. Subsequently, only 10 combined points were scored to shape the final score: 13-16.
For those who decided to pick K Cairo Santos in their fantasy, it was a round night with three field goals and an extra point, being Chicago's leading scorer.
Not to say that rookie QB Tyson Bagent (20/33, 162 YDS) was inoperable, but it shows because he is the backup to injured QB Justin Fields. And even WR D.J. Moore couldn't maintain a positive momentum he was starting to have with the other passer. The only one who benefits is RB D'Onta Foreman (21 ACARR, 80 YDS, 1 TD), as the responsibility of moving the offense is falling on him lately.
On the other hand, it's hard to evaluate a defense when the opposing offense is inoperative. QB Bryce Young (21/38, 185 YDS) is still far from justifying his high draft pick, but no one seems to be stepping up to turn the team around. As much as the defense struggled without all of its big men, this is really a team that has little to nothing to do this year.
Bryce Young: a costly mistake for Carolina?
Anyone would say the Panthers are tanking.
Management decided to give up their best WR and valuable draft picks to bring in the QB, what they don't know in the organization is that it takes a team to win. There will be those who want to make comparisons to QB C.J. Stroud, however, they ignore the most relevant one - Houston got their passer by waiting, not going crazy for him.
In the history of the NFL, rarely does tanking or giving so much for a very high pick work. Bryce Young has 8 TDs, while Stroud has 14 without playing this week. Needless to say, the latter has six fewer interceptions and more wins than his counterpart, formerly of Alabama. However, it's not fair to say that's why he's already a bust.
Reasoning like that is very damaging and is an ugly, ugly habit these days; for those veterans who remember the early years of Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, etc. know that every process is different and not everyone blossoms right away. If those teams had thought like so many fans and analysts out there, we wouldn't have several gridiron legends.
Just as Young was not the magic solution, he is not the reason for their dismal present. A team with that level of planning deserves to be the worst in the NFL and they are flying to be the worst. It's a pity that this flaw won't pay off so many defeats, because now Chicago will enjoy a pick that belonged to them until the beginning of this year.
Teams that are about to rebuild should view them as a fable.
What do you think of the result, disappointing game, what do you think of Bryce Young?
