Bears score 59 in shootout win over Panthers
D'Andre Swift ran for three touchdowns and Chicago pulled away from a 31-31 tie with three straight scores, finishing with 552 yards, 291 of them on the ground.
Chicago beat Carolina 59-37 on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium.
Carolina scored first on Bryce Young's 4-yard pass to Chuba Hubbard at 11:33 of the opening quarter. Caleb Williams ran 9 yards for a touchdown at 5:52, and D'Andre Swift's 1-yard run with 1:59 left put the Bears up 14-7. Williams' 22-yard pass to Cole Kmet made it 21-7 at 13:57 of the second, but the Panthers tied it on Young's 51-yard throw to Jalen Coker at 12:40 and Young's 7-yard run at 8:42. Cairo Santos and Ryan Fitzgerald traded field goals of 40 and 44 yards, and Williams' 29-yard run with 0:22 left made it 31-24 at the half.
Hubbard's 2-yard run at 9:02 of the third tied it at 31. Chicago answered with three straight touchdowns: Swift's 1-yard run at 3:05, Kyle Monangai's 61-yard run at 0:40 and Williams' 1-yard pass to Jahdae Walker at 6:27 of the fourth. Young's 8-yard pass to Coker at 4:00, with the extra point blocked, made it 52-37, and Swift's 28-yard run at 3:40 finished the scoring.
Swift carried 18 times for 124 yards; Williams was 21 of 29 for 269 yards and two scores. The Bears ran for 291 yards, totaled 552 and converted 10 of 14 third downs. Young finished 23 of 37 for 361 yards with three touchdowns and an interception, and Coker caught 8 passes for 138 yards and two scores. Carolina gained 478 yards and turned it over three times to Chicago's one. Attendance was 72,597.