Some Chicago Bears fans have wondered how their Week 1 showdown against the Carolina Panthers would go.
The Panthers are coming off a season in which they surprised people by winning the NFC South division title and nearly upsetting the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card. Chicago also won their division and beat the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card, but their season ended with a loss to the Rams in the playoffs.
News came out on the first day of training camp that will completely change the outlook of that Week 1 showdown. NFL reporters Cameron Wolfe and Ian Rapoport reported that Panthers linebacker Nic Scourton tore his ACL and will be out for the season. As a second-round pick last year, Scourton racked up 47 tackles, nine quarterback hits, seven tackles for loss, five sacks, one pass deflection, and one forced fumble in 17 games.
Panthers will be without young linebacker against Bears in Week 1
This certainly changes the game plan a bit for the Panthers and Bears. Carolina will have to find someone else to replace Scourton off the edge. The Panthers will be leaning more on their free agent signing, Jaelan Phillips, to step up and be the team's top pass rusher.
After the injury news, the Panthers acted quickly and added free agent edge rusher Cam Gill as Scourton's replacement. Gill is coming off a run in the UFL as the league's Defensive Player of the Year, finishing with 10 sacks in 10 games.
Chicago will have adjustments to make with their tackle positions on the offensive line. Braxton Jones is expected to be the left tackle, and Darnell Wright will have control of the right side.
The new strategy for the Bears is simple: double-team Phillips and don't let him get past the tackles. That would mean bringing either guard, Joe Thuney or Jonah Jackson, to help in pass protection against Phillips. It could also mean using running backs D'Andre Swift or Kyle Monangai to help come up and chip away at Phillips if he gets past the tackles.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams will get some help from the offensive line and have some more time in the pocket. With or without Scourton, the Bears have a top-five offensive line that only allowed 24 sacks last season.
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The news about Scourton is not something Bears fans wanted to hear, as the teams always want to face each other at full strength. Carolina still has time to find his replacement and prepare to face a very good Bears team in Week 1. Chicago should not overlook the Panthers one bit because of the news.
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