Bears-Panthers Preview 10/24/12

The Bears will face one of the weaker teams in the NFL, but one of the league's more dynamic players on Sunday.  Cam Newton will lead the Carolina Panthers into Soldier Field. 

The Bears know all too well what Cam Newton is capable of.  Last season against them he passed for 374 yards and one touchdown and he rushed for two more touchdowns.  The Panthers nearly pulled off the upset before losing 34-29.

"He's fast. He's got a strong arm.  He's mobile in the pocket," says Lovie Smith. "With a strong arm he can make all the throws."

But this season Newton has suffered a sophomore slump, and the Panthers have paid for it with a 1-5 record. But sometimes a desperate team can be a dangerous team.

"Their backs against the wall, you just never know," says Jay Cutler. "They're going to play their hardest football they're probably played all year, so we've got to be ready for that on offense and defense."

If any defense can stop Newton it's the Bears.  They're tops in the NFL in fewest points allowed and tops in takeaways.  But Cutler says the offense has to start doing more to contribute on game day.

"We've got to do our part on offense," says Cutler. "The D has been carrying us for a while. We've got to make some strikes offensively this week."

Cutler says we'll see more formations out of the Bears offense as it grows as a unit.  In fact Monday night we actually saw Brandon Marshall line up in the offensive backfield.  Marshall says he hopes we'll see more of that.

"I'm trying to get them to make it an open competition with Matt and Bush," chuckled Marshall. "I feel comfortable back there. Hopefully one day I get a toss or maybe a dive, so we'll see what happens."