Teddy Bridgewater and the Panthers brought a three-game win streak and a ton of confidence into today’s matchup with the Bears. It didn’t take long for Chicago’s crushing defense to take the wind out of their sails. The game began in a disaster for Carolina’s offense, resulting in an interception for Bridgewater as he was throwing from deep in his own end zone.
The hits kept coming for Teddy, who had only a handful of clean pockets to work with all day. When it was over, Bridgewater (16/29, 216 passing yards, two interceptions, 50.3 passer rating) told reporters this game will humble you.
Bridgewater: “This game will humble you, and I’m pretty sure it humbled a lot of people today.”
— Myles Simmons (@MylesASimmons) October 18, 2020
While Bridgewater’s line was ugly, it’s wrong to put all the blame on him. Poor pass protection was only part of the problem. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady’s playcalling was flawed, the receivers couldn’t get open and D.J. Moore dropped a couple of passes in key situations that could have changed the result if he’d caught them.
Despite the sloppiness, Bridgewater and the Panthers hung tough and kept it close against a 5-1 Chicago team that’s clearly going to be an NFC contender. There’s still a lot to like about this group, especially how hard they fight.
