The Carolina Panthers fought back from 21-7 down to beat the Carolina Panthers 31-24 at the Bank of America Stadium this evening.
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Corey Brown opened the scoring early on for the hosts when he shook off a hit before the catch to return a Pat O'Donnell punt 63 yards for a touchdown.
The Bears were soon back on level terms though, as Jay Cutler connected with Matt Forte for a short gain before the running back sprinted for the end zone.
The quarterback picked up a rushing touchdown himself before the end of the first quarter to put Chicago ahead, while a pass to Alshon Jeffery increased their lead to 14.
Despite throwing an interception to Lance Briggs, Cam Newton led a strong drive late in the first half to keep Carolina in contention, finding Greg Olsen for a score in the final seconds.
The home side looked strong at the start of the third quarter, and managed to level the scores when Chris Ogbonnaya darted over out wide.
Bears kicker Robbie Gould edged the Bears back ahead, but a late kick from Graham Gano ensured that the teams were level with just over four minutes on the clock.
Cutler got the ball back for Chicago to try and put them back in front, but Kawann Short forced a fumble from Antoine Cason to get the ball back in the hands of Newton.
The Panthers quarterback quickly moved the home side into the red zone before finding Olsen for the second time in the game for a touchdown, giving Carolina the lead for the first time since the first quarter.
The NFC North side had time to try and get back on level terms but Short sacked Cutler, causing the quarterback to fumble, and allowing the home side to run down the remaining time.
The result leaves the Panthers 3-2, while the Bears slip to 2-3 this season.
Sian Cowper
