Chicago Bears vs. Carolina Panthers: Live updates from Soldier Field

CHICAGO – Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent will make his fourth consecutive start when the Bears take on the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night at Soldier Field.

Matt Eberflus has ruled out Justin Fields, who is still dealing with a right thumb injury. Fields will now have nine more days to heal up ahead of a Nov. 19 game in Detroit.

But for Thursday, it will once again be the Bagent show. He and the Bears will take on Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers in a primetime matchup.

Shaw Local Bears beat writer Sean Hammond is at Soldier Field for the game. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @sean_hammond, on Instagram at @bears_reporter and on Threads at @bears_reporter. Shaw Local reporter Jake Bartelson also will be reporting from Soldier Field. Follow him on X at @JakeBartelson. Shaw Local Bears analyst Marc Silverman will provide his thoughts on X at @WaddleandSilvy.

Below is everything Bears fans need to know ahead of the game. Stay here all game long, too, for lives updates.

Bears win, 16-13

Panthers kicker Eddy Piñeiro had a 59-yard field goal try in the final minutes of the game, which could’ve tied things up, but his attempt fell well short.

The Bears held on for a victory, 16-13, at Soldier Field. They improved to 3-7 on the season. Tyson Bagent is now 2-2 as the starting quarterback.

Panthers add field goal, pull within three

The Panthers at one point faced a first-and-30, and later a second-and-27, and still they found a way to convert for a first down and get back into field goal range. Kicker Eddy Piñeiro made a 39-yard field goal try to pull within three early in the fourth quarter.

The Bears lead, 16-13, with 11:06 remaining in the game.

Foreman finds the end zone

Running back D’Onta Foreman powered his way into the end zone on a 4-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter. The score gave the Bears their first lead, 16-10, with 6:33 to go in the third quarter.

The Bears drove 38 yards on nine plays to score the touchdown. On the previous possession, the Bears’ defense did a great job keeping the Panthers pinned deep in their own end.

Cairo Santos makes his 3rd field goal; Panthers lead at halftime

The Bears drove down the field quickly before halftime and added a 39-yard field goal from kicker Cairo Santos as time expired on the first half. It went for a nine-play, 70-yard scoring drive with the help of a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty.

Santos has scored all the point for the Bears so far. At halftime, the Panthers lead, 10-9.

In the first half, Tyson Bagent completed 14 of 24 passes for 127 yards. Running back D’Onta Foreman rushed for 39 yards on 10 carries.

Bears add another field goal

The Bears converted on a fourth-and-4 from the Panthers’ 35-yard line to keep the chains moving late in the second quarter. Rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent connected with rookie receiver Tyler Scott for a 15-yard gain. Scott made a tough catch in traffic and held onto the football as a defender hit him.

The possession stalled out moments later, and kicker Cairo Santos made a 36-yard field goal.

The Panthers still lead, 10-6, with 3:06 to go in the second quarter.

Panthers add field goal, lead 10-3

Panthers receiver Michael Strachan made a huge play, catching a 45-yard pass from quarterback Bryce Young to flip the field position. The Panthers, though, stalled in the red zone and were forced to kick a field goal. Kicker Eddy Piñeiro made a 33-yard try.

The Panthers lead, 10-3, with 13:33 to go in the second quarter.

Cairo Santos makes 54-yard field goal

The Bears offense stalled out near midfield late in the first quarter. Kicker Cairo Santos lined up for a 49-yard field goal and kicked it right down the middle, but the refs threw a penalty flag. They called lineman Cody Whitehair offsides on the play.

Santos had to give it another try, this time from 54 yards. Santos, again, nailed the field goal try.

The kick gave the Bears their first points. The Panthers lead, 7-3, with 2:29 remaining in the game.

Former Bears WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette scores on punt return

Panthers punt returner Ihmir Smith-Marsette scored a 79-yard punt return touchdown midway through the first quarter. The special teams play was the highlight of the game so far for either team. All three possessions so far have ended in punts.

Smith-Marsette played for the Bears during part of last season. He’s most remembered for a key fumble against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5 of last season.

His touchdown on Thursday gave the Panthers the first lead, 7-0.

Both offenses have struggled so far. The Bears received the opening kickoff, but Tyson Bagent and the offense couldn’t get much going. The Bears picked up a first down on the opening play, a screen pass to receiver DJ Moore. But the Bears failed to pick up another first down and were forced to punt.

The Panthers picked up three first downs, two with QB Bryce Young running, but also punted on their first possession of the game.

Bears announce inactive players

As expected, quarterback Justin Fields will not play Thursday. Fields was listed among the Bears’ inactive players.

Also inactive for the Bears on Thursday are receiver Velus Jones Jr., cornerback Terell Smith, fullback Khari Blasingame, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, right guard Nate Davis and defensive end Dominique Robinson.

Jones is a notable inactive. Jones has played in the past eight games. He has served as the Bears’ primary kick return man. Receivers Trent Taylor or Tyler Scott could take over kick return duties with Jones sidelined.

Jones has not, however, been very involved in the offense. He made key mistakes in recent game with a bad special teams penalty last week against New Orleans and a tough drop on offense against the Los Angeles Chargers.

The latest injury news

Fields might work out on the field prior to the game, but he’s not expected to play. The team has officially ruled him as “doubtful” on the injury report, but Eberflus said Fields will sit this one out.

Eberflus said that the team’s medical staff has not yet cleared Fields to return to game action. Fields returned to practice last Friday, throwing a football for the first time in 19 days. He was a limited participant in practice this week.

Fullback Khari Blasingame (concussion), linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (knee), right guard Nate Davis (ankle) and Terell Smith (illness) have been ruled out for Thursday’s game.

Despite returning to practice this week, running back Khalil Herbert will not play Thursday. Herbert, who is still dealing with an ankle injury suffered Oct. 5 against Washington, was not activated off IR.

Cornerback Josh Blackwell (hamstring) and receiver Equanimeous St. Brown (hamstring) were activated Thursday afternoon. Those two are listed as questionable, but will likely play. The Bears already waived safety Duron Harmon and cornerback Greg Stroman on Wednesday, creating two open roster spots.

Additionally, the Bears downgraded cornerback Tyrique Stevenson to questionable. Stevenson was dealing with an ankle injury this week, but did practice all week.

Khalil Herbert will not return

With Herbert out, look for running backs D’Onta Foreman, Roschon Johnson and Darrynton Evans to continue to share the load. The Panthers are one of the worst run defenses in the NFL, so the Bears could have an advantage here.

Foreman ran for 83 yards on 20 carries last week against New Orleans, and he scored three total touchdowns a few weeks ago against Last Vegas.

Like with Fields, an extra nine days should give Herbert a good chance to return for a Nov. 19 matchup with Detroit at Ford Field. It’s unclear if Foreman or Herbert will be the lead back when Herbert returns.

For now, though, the Bears don’t have to make that decision.

What to expect from the Panthers

The Panthers drafted quarterback Bryce Young with the No. 1 overall pick last spring. The Bears and Panthers executed a blockbuster trade for the top pick in March.

Carolina sent the Bears two first-round picks, two second-round picks and receiver DJ Moore in exchange for the No. 1 overall selection in the draft. That will, no doubt, be a topic of discussion from the Amazon Prime broadcast crew during Thursday night’s game. Moore will face his former team for the first time.

Here are five storylines to watch during Thursday’s game. Also, check out the Shaw Local Bears Insider podcast for your pregame listening needs.

Halfway through Ryan Poles’ second season with the Bears, Silvy still has questions about the GM. Read Silvy’s full column here.

What else did I miss this week?

Thanks to a Thursday game, it was a short week at Halas Hall. Here’s what else was in the news.

[ Chicago Bears injury report: RB Khalil Herbert full participant in practice ahead of Thursday’s game ]

[ 3 things Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said Monday after loss to Saints ]

[ Five big takeaways from Chicago Bears’ disjointed loss against New Orleans Saints ]