Carolina looked horrible on offense in the first half, with only one first down and 47 yards off offense. Penalties killed them. Their defense kept them in there, though, long enough for Delhomme and the offense to get on track in the second half. The Panthers score three times in the final two quarters to win the game by a final score of 20-17.

With Chicago in 4th-and-1, Carolina calls a timeout to make sure its defense is set. The play is a handoff to the fullback McKie on a run up the middle, but the Panthers get a surge and reach McKie just as he reaches the line. It goes for no gain and the Bears turn the ball over on downs. Chicago has no timeouts remaining, so Carolina should be able to close this one out.

Vasher has made up for Hester's absence with a couple good punt returns. He weaves through the coverage and almost breaks one off before getting tackled at the Chicago 41. The Bears call a draw play on first down to catch the Panthers playing back on defense. It goes for a nine-yard gain. A couple incompletions follow, the second nearly taken back the other way, and the Bears will face a fourth down following the two-minute warning.