When the Chicago Bears host the Carolina Panthers, it will be a game that gets mocked nationally. Thursday Night Football is always considered a joke, and now we get a 1-7 Panthers team on the road to take on the 2-7 Bears. The stakes could not be any lower. Still, there will be plenty of juicy storylines for football fans to follow in a game that may be entertaining for the wrong reasons.
5. The Chicago Bears want the first overall pick
This is the one game of the year where every fan of the Chicago Bears wants them to win. Most fans always want them to win, but there are the fans who want their team to tank for draft position. Every win is a win away from the top quarterback on the board. However, this week, a win actually helps them get closer to the top pick. The Bears have the Panthers' first-round pick.
That pick is currently second overall. The only reason they are behind the Arizona Cardinals right now is because the Cardinals did not have their bye week yet. So, the Panthers could easily finish with the first pick. The Bears need to win to make that happen.
The Panthers do not have their pick, so they need every win this year to justify it. Every loss makes that trade look worse, so you know that they will be all-in. The good news is that if the Bears do lose, they still win a small bit in the draft war. They would just have two picks that are teams with two wins. They would need Arizona to win again, but with Kyler Murray back, a Panthers win could still lead to the Bears picking first and second this year. How will the draft standings change after this week?