Panthers receiver Adam Theilen calls offense's effort against Bears 'embarrassing'
Panthers receiver Adam Theilen calls offense's effort against Bears 'embarrassing' originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Panthers, who are now 1-8 this season after Thursday's loss to the Bears, failed to generate more than six points on offense.
Thanks to a punt return touchdown --- an outcome that hasn't happened to the Bears since 2017 --- the Panthers were able to remain competitive to the point of losing by just three points. But they expected more, as illustrated by wide receiver Adam Theilen after the game.
"We're just not hitting on all cylinders right now. We're not hitting on any cylinders," Thielen said via Panthers.com. "It's an embarrassing effort. I think everyone's just embarrassed, you know, put up what, six points on offense.
"Like, we didn't do anything. That's embarrassing when your defense is playing the way they're playing, especially the way they're playing. It's embarrassing. And like we talked about, we're putting in good practices. We're doing the right things; building the momentum that way, but it's just not translating. That's tough."
The Panthers' offense was simply flat.
They didn't turn the ball over once. And as Thielen said, their defense remained rigid against backup quarterback Tyson Bagent and the Bears' offense. Still, they failed to chalk up production in several areas.
There are two places, in my mind, that were alarming for the Panthers' offense. They churned out 213 yards of total offense (maybe more alarming, just 43 rushing yards) and converted 12 first downs to the Bears' 21.
The Panthers finished 3-of-15 on third down conversions, yet surprisingly 3-of-3 on fourth down.
Bryce Young, the product of the Bears' trading the No. 1 pick to the Panthers last offseason, finished completing 21-of-38 passes for 185 yards and zero touchdowns or turnovers. Thielen finished with six catches for 42 yards.
For all intents and purposes, Thielen's frustration is justified. The Bears own the sixth-worst defense in the NFL, allowing 25.5 points per game. Equally, however, the Panthers own the sixth-worst offense this season, producing just over 17 points per game.
If they had an average game, they would've theoretically won. Unfortunately, the Bears had too solid of performance on the defensive end for them to outscore the Bears. The insertion of Montez Sweat, who the Bears traded for at the NFL trade deadline, produced eight pressures --- the most by a Bears player since 2020.
Matt Eberflus' defense created enough pressure on Young and kept a tight-knit defense to keep them off the scoreboard. And for that, the Bears earned their third win of the season and boosted their future first-round pick to the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, as of this writing.
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