Chicago Bears Gameday: 3 Keys to Victory over the Carolina Panthers

The Chicago Bears need to win the turnover battle

Throughout the first half of the season, the Bears' biggest problem as a team has been turnovers. In each of their seven losses, the Bears failed to generate more than two takeaways while giving the ball away twice or more. On the other side, in both of the team's wins this year, the Bears protected the ball and failed to turn it over once while creating multiple defensive takeaways in either game.

Clearly, the turnover margin is a strong indicator of the Bears', or any other team's, chances of victory. Unfortunately, through the early part of the season, the Bears rank dead last in turnover margin at -9, thanks in large part to a league-worst 18 offensive giveaways.

Winning the turnover battle against the Panthers will go a long way to pave the road to victory, but it will be paramount for both sides of the ball to do their job. Offensively, the Bears have to do a better job at protecting the football, especially after a five-turnover outing versus the Saints. As mentioned above, running the football more consistently will potentially provide Bagent with easier opportunities to throw against looser coverage, but other players have to help by holding onto the football. Last week, Moore had a crucial fumble when the Bears were trying to get back into the game, and while the receiver is often sure-handed after the catch, it provides a healthy reminder to the team's offensive skill players to prioritize ball security against the Panthers.

On defense, the Bears have been better at generating turnovers as of late, with seven takeaways over their last five games, but against a younger quarterback in Young, getting the ball back for the offense should be the number one goal. Unfortunately, the Bears' defense will not be at full strength, with Tremaine Edmunds set to miss his second consecutive game, but still, the unit possesses many playmakers who have a nose for the football, especially cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who could potentially help his contract extension cause with a turnover.