Bear Digest

Panthers remain the gift that keeps giving to the Chicago Bears in 2025

The Carolina Panthers' Week 13 win had huge implications for the Chicago Bears' playoff chase.
Bryan Perez|
Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Thanks to the Carolina Panthers' stunning 31-28 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 13, the Chicago Bears will enter Week 14 as the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

Yes, Bears Nation. You read that right. The Chicago Bears are currently the No. 1 seed in the NFC as the calendar flips to December.

The Bears have come so far since 2024, when Caleb Williams was forced to struggle through a season marred by coaching malpractice and an incompetent offensive line.

Now, with Ben Johnson captaining the ship and with Ryan Poles' offseason commitment to repairing the O-line, this Bears team is the hottest in the NFC.

The Bears are also beginning to finally receive the national vote of confidence they've lacked through the first 12 weeks of the season. Chicago was often referred to as "fool's gold," a team that couldn't beat real contenders.

Then came Chicago's thrashing of the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Black Friday, and it's all changed.

Suddenly, the Bears are viewed as an actual threat in the NFC, and the Carolina Panthers have a lot to do with it.

This current iteration of the Chicago Bears wouldn't exist if it weren't for Ryan Poles' stroke of genius before the 2023 NFL Draft, when he traded the first overall pick to the Panthers for DJ Moore and a bundle of franchise-changing draft picks.

The list of impact players the Bears received because of that one trade has made the transition to Ben Johnson easier. An elite coach who takes over a roster that has talent ready to be unleashed is a dangerous combination, and we're seeing it play out in real time in 2025.

And as if the trade wasn't enough, the Panthers gave the Bears a massive assist in their 2025 playoff chase on Sunday.

Bears fans owe the Panthers a tip of the cap. They're the holiday gift that keeps on giving.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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