NFL.com and NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport has his thoughts on the game:
Week 8 primer:
» Ranking games in order of intrigue
Why this game is intriguing: If you'd told me before the season that Panthers-Bears would be next-to-last, I'd have laughed. How could it be, with Cam Newton vs. Jay Cutler? But that's how far Carolina has sunk, causing the firing of general manager Marty Hurney this week. There is still talent on this team, but the Panthers will need to pull it together fast to compete with Chicago. (It's a long shot.) This ball-hawking Bears defense is one of the NFL's best, and one can imagine how frustrating it will make life for Newton and receiver Steve Smith. If there's one quarterback whose body language we'll analyze on Sunday, it's Newton.
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