Bears-Panthers TNF Matchup a Win-Win Scenario for Chicago, Even With a Loss

There's an added incentive when the two-win Chicago Bears host the one-win Carolina Panthers in the Week 10 Thursday Night Football matchup.

Chicago owns Carolina's 2024 first-round draft pick. So the Bears can win in more ways than one—beat the Panthers and boost their chances of obtaining the No. 1 overall selection at the same time. That's obviously the ideal outcome for the Bears. But, if Chicago loses, its own first-rounder gets that much better.

This is a win-win draft scenario for the Bears because somebody—barring a tie—is going to lose. Not that the players actually care about the draft order.

"I'm just trying to get to 3-7," Bears offensive lineman Teven Jenkins told reporters on Wednesday. "That's the only thing I'm worried about."

If the season ended now, Chicago—with an assist from Carolina—would own the Nos. 2 and 3 picks in next year's draft. The Panthers (1-7) have the second-worst record in the league, only behind the Arizona Cardinals (1-8). The Bears are one of three 2-7 teams and would be slated to draft third overall under the current standings.

With both picks, Chicago has as good a chance as any team to get the No. 1 overall slot. And another top-five selection seems likely, too.

What would the Bears do with such valuable assets?

They could opt to move on from quarterback Justin Fields in favor of USC's Caleb Williams or North Carolina's Drake Maye. Or perhaps take Ohio State standout wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. Another scenario could see the Bears doing what they did for this year—trading a top pick for a haul of goods.

Chicago finished the 2022 season with the worst record in the NFL and the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft. But it didn't keep the pick for long. The Panthers traded for the top selection, which it used on Alabama QB Bryce Young, and gave up four draft picks—including its 2024 first-rounder—and standout wide receiver D.J. Moore.

The sixth-year wideout has caught 47 passes for 735 yards and five touchdowns through his first six games with the Bears. Moore said this week that he has no hard feelings toward his former team. And he wouldn't exactly classify Thursday's matchup as a revenge game.

"The extra juice comes from [playing on] Thursday night, but not them," Moore said of any motivational factors in playing the Panthers for the first time.

The last time Moore got "extra juice" from playing on Thursday night, it was bad news for the opposing team. The 26-year-old caught eight passes and set career highs with 230 yards and three touchdowns in a Week 5 Thursday night win over the Washington Commanders.

Fields was Chicago's QB in that win but dislocated his right thumb the following game and has been out since. He is listed as doubtful for the Chicago-Carolina game, though Bears coach Matt Eberflus said, in a roundabout way, that Fields is getting close but will not play.

That means Tyson Bagent will make his fourth consecutive start for the Bears. The undrafted rookie is 1-2 in his first three starts and is coming off an up-and-down performance against the New Orleans Saints. Bagent threw for 220 yards, ran for another 70, and threw for a pair of touchdowns in the 24-17 loss. But he also threw three interceptions and lost a fumble. Three of the turnovers occurred on Chicago's final four drives of the day. Moore caught only three passes for 44 yards. Bagent knows that's not enough.

"I am conscious of the fact D.J. is our guy," Bagent said Wednesday. "He's our X factor, and I've got to do a good job of getting him the ball."

The Bears and Panthers will kick off Week 10 at 8:15 p.m. ET on Thursday in Chicago. The matchup will air on Amazon Prime, where Al Michaels (play-by-play) and Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) will be charged with bringing some enthusiasm to a game that's most interesting feature is its draft implications.