Bears, Panthers meet in matchup between teams linked by trade that changed both franchises

ROSEMONT, Ill. (AP) — Caleb Williams might be suiting up for the Carolina Panthers against the Chicago Bears in an alternate world on Sunday.

It's a world where the two teams did not swing a massive trade.

“Obviously grateful that it happened and to be a Chicago Bear,” Williams said. “I’m not too deep into the history of kinda what happened but I do know it got us a lot of different things.”

Williams and the Bears (2-2) will try to build on some of the progress they showed last week when they host Andy Dalton and the Panthers (1-3) on Sunday.

Chicago displayed the explosiveness and efficiency in a win over the Los Angeles Rams last week that general manager Ryan Poles envisioned when he overhauled the offense.

The Panthers have gotten a spark from Dalton since he took over for Bryce Young two weeks ago and will try to bounce back from a loss to Cincinnati.

The two teams, of course, are inextricably linked by a blockbuster deal prior to the 2023 season.

Carolina sent DJ Moore and the No. 9 overall pick to Chicago for the top selection in the draft that year. The Bears also got the Panthers' 2024 first-rounder that wound up being the No. 1 overall pick and a second-rounder in 2025.

Carolina opted to draft Young with the No. 1 pick in 2023 rather than C.J. Stroud in a move that so far has backfired.

While Stroud quickly established himself as a star, the Panthers benched Young 18 starts into his career. Carolina fired former coach Frank Reich last season and former general manager Scott Fitterer at the end of the season.

For the Bears, the deal is looking better.

They signed Moore to a four-year extension in July after he led the team with 96 receptions for 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns last season. They drafted a potential franchise quarterback in Williams, and they got several other contributors as a result of the trade with Carolina and a series of subsequent moves. Those players include right tackle Darnell Wright, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson and punter Tory Taylor.

“It’s really remarkable when you think about it, how it all fell together like that," coach Matt Eberflus said. "A lot of that’s luck, I mean a lot of that you can’t predict. But it’s also putting yourself in position. Ryan Poles and his staff did a great job of that.”

Inexperience at linebacker

The Panthers lost both of their starting inside linebackers to injury in last week’s defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals, leaving them extremely thin at the position.

Shaq Thompson tore his Achilles tendon and will miss the remainder of the season while Josey Jewell injured his hamstring/groin and is expected to be out at least a couple of weeks. That means Trevin Wallace and Claudin Cherelus, who have a combined six NFL tackles in their career, are expected to get the start.

“We’re definitely looking forward to seeing them out there to playing football, for Claudin and Trevin to start communicating and be able to work with the whole group,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said.

Building offense

The Bears offense took some time to get going last week. Chicago then scored on four straight possessions, including three touchdowns.

Williams completed 17 of 23 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown while posting a 106.6 rating that’s his best one yet. The Bears had a season-high 131 yards rushing last week, with D’Andre Swift running for 93. He added 72 yards receiving.

Chicago will try to build on all that going against a defense that ranks among the NFL's worst.

Emerging Hubbard

The Panthers are expected to lean heavily Sunday on running back Chuba Hubbard, who has had back-to-back 100-yard rushing games.

Hubbard is averaging 5.8 yards per carry over the past three games and has developed into a solid receiving option after struggling in that area as a rookie. He has caught 13 of 14 passes thrown his way for 84 yards and a touchdown.

He became the first Panthers running back to surpass the century mark in rushing in consecutive games since D’Onta Foreman in Week 7 and 8 of the 2022 season.

Defense delivers

Chicago's defense continues to play at a high level. That group ranks 10th overall and is tied for eighth against the pass.

The Bears held Matthew Stafford to a 77.4 passer rating and sacked him three times last week. Safety Jaquan Brisker had a game-sealing interception with about a minute remaining.

Johnson the main option

Diontae Johnson developed into the clear No. 1 option in the Panthers offense, just as Canales had planned before the season. Canales likes his offense having a primary option and them working off that.

Over the past two weeks with Andy Dalton at quarterback, Johnson had been targeted 27 times and has 15 catches for 205 yards and two touchdowns.

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Andrew Seligman, The Associated Press