Sep 14th 2008 9:45PM by Will Brinson (author feed)
Filed under: Bears, Panthers, NFL Coaching
These two teams matter. A whole lot, actually. And while not many people would have guessed it — certainly a Panthers homer or a Bears fan might have mentioned something — they are going to be hanging around for a while, barring injury.

For the Bears, their defense has to stay healthy. And for the Panthers, Jake Delhomme’s arm has to hold up. I know that’s a standard, sweeping generalization, but it’s true.

Oh, and the new-look Panthers offensive line, which mauled the Bears in the second half Sunday, needs to not get hurt as well. If they can avoid serious injury, Jonathan Stewart is going to be something special. He was an absolute bruiser during the second half Sunday, plowing through Bears defenders en route to two touchdowns and 77 yards on just 14 carries.

So, yeah, memo to John Fox: give Stewart more carries, especially against a team like the Bears where force > fancy.Continue Reading