Instant analysis of Bears' 36-10 win vs. Panthers in Week 5

Five games into the 2024 NFL season and the Chicago Bears are rolling, trouncing the Carolina Panthers, 36-10, and completely shifting the tide of their season by jumping out to a 3-2 record.

Every aspect of the team was firing on all cylinders, suffocating the Panthers on defense and battering them with both the run and pass on offense. The Panthers struck first, however, with talented running back Chuba Hubbard taking a handoff and exploding for a 38-yard touchdown run, getting Carolina on the board first with a 7-0 lead.

Doubts of Chicago's preparedness to handle their diminished opponent began to creep up, but the Bears quickly matched the Panthers' quick start. Rookie signal-caller Caleb Williams executed an impressive drive that culminated in a Williams' touchdown strike to a wide-open DJ Moore, who restrained his forward momentum from pulling him out of bounds and tight roped his way in for the score, tying the game at 7-7.

The early offensive fireworks continued. Chicago capped off another methodical drive with bruising running back Roschon Johnson punching it in from one yard out, giving the home team their first lead of the game, 14-7. Carolina managed to get reign Chicago's offense in as the second quarter winded down, with Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton looking to cut the lead with a few minutes remaining in the first half. Then, one of Chicago's defensive playmakers did what they do best: took the ball away. Last week's standout defender, safety Jaquan Brisker, laid the lumber on Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble, popping the football out of his hands and onto the ground. The Bears recovered the timely turnover, setting the offense up with a short field.

The ensuing drive was all electric runner D'Andre Swift. The running back caught a short pass from Williams and burst into the second level of Carolina's defense, bobbing and weaving his way all the way to the two-yard line on the 42-yard catch-and-run. He was rewarded for his efforts by scoring on a short rush the following play, extending their lead to 21-7. The offense had one more scoring effort in them before the half: Williams quickly moved down the field with time ticking away, eventually setting up the Bears with a second down on the Panthers' 30-yard line, and the rookie lofted a beautiful pass for the streaking Moore, who brought down the touchdown catch with a defender draped over his back.

All the Bears had to do was play keep away to secure the win with an imposing 27-7 lead in hand. Their opponent had no choice but to abandon the run in favor of the pass to try and salvage the game, which played right into the defense's biggest strength. It didn't take long for them to capitalize on that advantage -- safety Kevin Byard intercepted an errant Andy Dalton throw just a few minutes into the second half.

The two clubs traded field goals, and the Bears took their foot off the gas, sustaining drives until they ultimately punted. Midway through the fourth quarter, with a 30-10 score in Chicago's favor, Carolina added another blunder to their series of misfortunes when Hubbard fumbled the ball away to a waiting Kyler Gordon, sealing the win. Johnson punched the ball across the goal line in shortly after, putting the final tally on their dominant 36-10 victory.

Looking at the result of this game and peeking ahead to the coming weeks, Chicago is watching the best-case scenario unfold. The franchise just won their second straight game and are sitting tight with a 3-2 record, with the despondent 1-4 Jacksonville Jaguars set to be their foe in London next week. The Bears can come out of the bye week the week after with a shocking 4-2 record.

On a narrower scope, Sunday's score doesn't lie. Chicago obliterated Carolina in every aspect: the defense put together another dominant performance, and even the team's weaknesses took a major step in the right direction. The offense looked great, and that's largely credit to the offensive line, who has transformed themselves into a respectable unit in just five games.

Tougher games are to come, and the type of production seen today shouldn't be expected every week, but let's call it how it is. The talent is there, the execution is starting to become consistent, and there's seemingly no obstruction in the road ahead that will throw the Bears off their track.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Instant analysis of Bears' 36-10 win vs. Panthers in Week 5