Williams, Bears look to build on progress when they host Panthers

Carolina (1-3) at Chicago (2-2)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox

BetMGM NFL Odds: Bears by 3 1/2

Series record: Bears lead 8-4.

Against the spread: Panthers 1-3, Bears 2-1-1.

Last meeting: Bears beat Panthers 16-13 on Nov. 9, 2023.

Last week: Panthers lost 34-24 to Cincinnati; Bears beat Los Angeles Rams 24-18.

Panthers offense: overall (23), rush (18), pass (24), scoring (25).

Panthers defense: overall (28), rush (29), pass (19), scoring (32).

Bears offense: overall (30), rush (29), pass (26), scoring (20).

Bears defense: overall (10), rush (18), pass (8-T), scoring (8).

Turnover differential: Panthers even, Bears plus-2.

Panthers player to watch

WR Xavier Legette. With Adam Thielen sidelined with a hamstring injury last week, rookie Xavier Legette stepped up with six catches for 66 yards and his first touchdown, outperforming second-year wideout Jonathan Mingo. Legette still looks a little unsure of himself on some routes and had two drops versus the Bengals, but he also showed glimpses of his potential and why the Panthers drafted him with the last pick in the first round.

Bears player to watch

QB Caleb Williams. The Bears showed the efficiency and explosiveness last week that general manager Ryan Poles envisioned when he overhauled the offense in the offseason. Chicago 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.

Key matchup

Bears WR DJ Moore against Carolina's secondary. The Bears need Moore and Williams to get in sync at some point, and this wouldn't be a bad week to do it. After all, Moore set a career high with 1,364 yards last season after getting traded from Carolina to Chicago. He's well off that pace so far, with just 189 yards through four games. Moore caught five passes for 58 yards last year against the Panthers.

Key injuries

The Panthers lost starting inside LBs Shaq Thompson and Josey Jewell to injuries on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, meaning they will start Trevin Wallace and Claudin Cherelus, who have a combined six NFL tackles between them. Look for the Bears to try to exploit that inexperience in the running game. … G Damien Lewis (elbow) is expected to return this week after missing last week’s game. ... The Bears could be without G Teven Jenkins (bruised ribs), who left last week's game after he was hurt while blocking. ... TE Cole Kmet (knee) was limited in practice on Wednesday.

Series notes

The Panthers' lone win in Chicago came during the divisional round of the 2005 playoffs (29-21) when WR Steve Smith set franchise playoff records, hauling in 12 receptions for 218 yards and two touchdowns. ... The Bears have won three straight and six of the past seven games against the Panthers.

Stats and stuff

QB Andy Dalton has given Carolina's offense a needed spark since taking over for the benched Bryce Young two weeks ago. The Panthers averaged just 13.9 points and 294.4 yards per game last season, but in two games under Dalton they’ve averaged 30 points and 406 yards. … RB Chuba Hubbard has run for a combined 218 yards over the past two weeks to maintain the starting job. … Carolina isn’t getting much production from its tight ends, with Tommy Tremble and Ja’Tavion Sanders combining for just 11 receptions for 80 yards this season. Help is on the way as Ian Thomas returned to practice this week from injured reserve and is expected to play. … The Panthers have allowed nine passing touchdowns this season. ... The Bears have won seven straight at Soldier Field, the longest current home winning streak in the NFL. It's their best streak at home since they won 10 straight starting in the 2005 season and running into 2006. ... Chicago had a season-high 131 yards rushing last week, with D’Andre Swift running for 93. He also had 72 yards receiving. ... Rookie WR Rome Odunze went from having six receptions for 112 yards and a TD in a loss at Indianapolis two weeks ago to catching one pass for 10 yards against the Rams. ... S Jaquan Brisker had a sack and a game-sealing interception last week.

Fantasy tip

WR Diontae Johnson is the clear No. 1 option in the Panthers' offense. Over the past two weeks since the team made a change at quarterback, Johnson has been targeted 27 times and has 15 catches for 205 yards and two touchdowns.

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The Associated Press