SportsDirect Inc. staff
Oct 5, 2014
Panthers 31, Bears 24: Cam Newton and Greg Olsen hooked up for a pair of touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 2:18 remaining in the fourth quarter, as host Carolina rallied past Chicago.
Olsen grabbed six passes for 72 yards and the two scores while Chris Ogbonnaya added a rushing TD for the Panthers (3-2), who snapped their two-game skid. Newton was 19-of-35 for 255 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
Jay Cutler finished 28-of-36 for 289 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions while adding a rushing TD for the Bears (2-3), who committed turnovers on consecutive offensive plays - and their last three possessions - to fuel Carolina's fourth-quarter comeback. Matt Forte caught 12 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown while gaining 61 yards on 17 carries.
The Panthers opened the scoring when rookie Philly Brown returned a punt 79 yards to the end zone with 10:56 left in the first quarter, but Cutler sandwiched a 10-yard scoring pass to Forte and a 25-yard touchdown strike to Alshon Jeffery around a 10-yard TD scramble to give Chicago a 21-7 lead. Newton and Olsen hooked up for a 9-yard score with 12 seconds remaining in the second to cut the deficit in half.
Ogbonnaya, who was signed Tuesday to add depth to a depleted backfield, punched in a 1-yard TD to tie it with 7:16 left in the third, but the Bears moved back in front on Robbie Gould's 45-yard field goal with 2:38 to go in the quarter. Graham Gano's 44-yard kick tied it again and Forte's fumble set up Newton's 6-yard scoring strike to Olsen before Kawann Short sacked Cutler and forced a fumble on fourth-and-21 to seal it.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Bears outgained the Panthers 347-321 but are 0-3 when registering more total yards than their opponent and 2-0 when they are outgained. กญ Chicago has committed 10 turnovers in its three losses. กญ The Panthers committed only three turnovers in their first four games but matched that total Sunday.