It might come as a surprise considering they've been without Christian McCaffery, but the Panthers offense still ranks 9th in the NFL in offensive DVOA. Now, the Bears are still a mess, ranking 26th, but they showed signs of figuring it out late Thursday against Tampa. Matt Nagy has to learn what works best for Nick Foles compared to what he had to do with Mitch Trubisky, and it looks like that's happening. On the defensive side of the ball, the Bears rank 5th overall in defensive DVOA but aren't great against the run. Carolina is 23rd overall and awful against the run. I don't think we're in for an offensive explosion here, but both these teams are capable of going over this total.

I don't think many are giving the Panthers props for how well they've quickly turned things around on both sides of the ball. Their offense is a well-oiled machine, and it shows its multiplicity each week by getting many players involved. Defensively, they did lose DT Kawaan Short for the season, and that'll hurt, but they still have enough talent to slow down the Bears' inconsistent offense.

The Bears' defense is playing well, Nick Foles was decent against Tampa Bay and I like Chicago in this spot. Mike Davis and Teddy Bridgewater are going to have a tough time against this defense. Take the points.

Who needs Christian McCaffrey? When the Swiss army knife star went down with an injury, the Panthers were widely considered toast. Instead, they’ve gone from 0-2 to 3-2 straight-up with a combination of under-appreciated QB Teddy Bridgewater, fill-in RB Mike Davis and crafty first-year coach Matt Rhule. The Bears have reached 4-1 SU with smoke and mirrors. They rank 27th in scoring and figure to remain so, if not drop, against the No. 5-rated pass defense. As a Saint last season, Bridgewater was sharp against the Bears.