Offense
C
Rookie Matt Forte had another solid outing with 93 yards. Kyle Orton looked sharp early and hit eight receivers. Brandon Lloyd took a step forward in his bid to be the No. 1 receiver, catching five passes for 66 yards. The offensive line held up, allowing just one sack. But Orton missed some key passes in the second half, most noticeably a deep ball he overthrew to Marty Booker. Tight end Greg Olsen’s two fumbles didn’t help. The offense managed just 108 yards in the second half.
Special teams
B-
Lloyd and Darrell McClover combined for the first touchdown, with McClover blocking a punt that Lloyd caught and returned 9 yards for a touchdown. Devin Hester returned three kickoffs for a 21-yard average and two punts for 9 yards before leaving with bruised ribs. Brandon McGowan had two early penalties, including unnecessary roughness after Lloyd’s score. Kellen Davis had an illegal block. Danieal Manning’s illegal block in the fourth quarter pinned the Bears deep in their own territory, helping the Panthers get good field position for their go-ahead score.
Defense
C
The Panthers started their fifth possession at the Bears’ 47-yard line and the defense forced a punt. Carolina’s sixth possession started at the Bears’ 23 and the Bears held the Panthers to a field goal. Alex Brown, Mike Brown and Israel Idonije all recorded sacks. Charles Tillman had an interception. But the Bears allowed rookie running back Jonathan Stewart to pound them for two touchdowns in the game’s final 18 minutes. Hunter Hillenmeyer misplayed the ball on a 23-yard connection from Jake Delhomme to tight end Jeff King, a play that set up Stewart’s 1-yard, go-ahead TD.
Coaching
C
The question all week will be why the Bears opted for fullback Jason McKie on fourth-and-1 rather than Forte when the play was designed for Forte before a timeout. The defensive line rotation was necessary considering the heat, but Tommie Harris didn’t appear to be in on a lot of plays. The defense’s aggressive approach appeared to rattle Delhomme early. The decision to deactivate Adrian Peterson was curious, but going with fifth receiver Mark Bradley turned out to be necessary with Hester’s injury.
