The rookie pitcher needs this Thursday Night Football to forget his performance in week 9.
Kick-off on the night of Thursday to Friday at 2:15 a.m.
Chicago Bears (2-7) – Carolina Panthers (1-7)
A few months ago, Bryce Young’s future was decided between these two teams. Chicago then held the first pick of the draft before ceding it to the Panthers in exchange for DJ Moore and the first round of draft 2024 by Carolina.
A trade which allows the Bears to approach this match with a double objective. Win first to move up the rankings, but also to push Carolina a little further and have a chance to recover a high draft choice next spring.
Bryce Young must take advantage of a porous defense
On the Panthers side, the strategy aimed to welcome Bryce Young. The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner was expected to change the face of the franchise upon his arrival. For now, his integration into the big league is mixed. If he has shown talent and enormous qualities at times, he also has a lot of difficulty really making the transition to professionals.
He is also coming off his worst performance of the season. Last week, the quarterback was intercepted 3 times (against the 32nd defense in the league)including 2 which were returned for a touchdown.
This game against the Bears in prime-time therefore comes at the right time to redeem himself. To do this, he will have to play against Matt Eberflus’ defense. A solid squad facing the race (79.7 yards/game, 4th in NFL)but which has major shortcomings in the air sector (256.9 yards/game, 28th). So there will be room for players like Adam Thielen (62 receptions, 610 yards and 4 TDs) to support their quarterback.
Tyson Bagent still on deck
This match should also give rise to a clash of rookies. Facing Bryce Young, the Bears should once again line up Tyson Bagent. Justin Fields is still uncertain and expected to miss this TNF.
The player who did not go through the draft will have to play a fourth game at the head of an attack which has not yet managed to give the full measure of its abilities. Symbol of a squad that is skating, the number of sacks conceded. Since the start of the season, Bears quarterbacks have been tackled 30 times behind the line of scrimmage (29th in the league).
The Panthers will have to take advantage of this to put pressure on this attack. Unfortunately for them, the pass-rush is an area penalized by injuries. Justin Houston and Yetur Gross-Matos are already on the injured list, while Brian Burns, concussed, will be absent from this meeting.
