The battle for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft is a real thing. The league's bottom dwellers are excited for a chance to draft one of the best prospects ever in Caleb Williams, and some teams might be going as far as to tank for that chance. The Chicago Bears are the favorites to land the number one pick because not only are they only a two-win team, but they also control the Carolina Panthers draft pick. The Panthers only have one win, meaning the Bears have two really good chances to end up with the top draft choice. At the bare minimum, the Bears are likely to end up with two high draft choices.
However, Week 10 of NFL action doesn't necessarily help their trek for the top pick. They play the Panthers on Thursday Night Football, so one of the two teams has to win. Without a pick, the Panthers have no incentive to lose, but they just aren't very good. If there is a chance for them to secure a win, though, it will likely be against another talent-deprived team like the Bears. Regardless, there are some fun storylines in this game, and this article will explain how you can watch the Panthers play the Bears.
When and where is Thursday Night Football
Neither the Carolina Panthers nor the Chicago Bears are that good this season. The Panthers have one win, and the Bears have two. The Bears will have an advantage playing at home this week, though. Game time is 8:15 p.m. ET on Thursday, Nov. 9. The game will be at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.
How to watch Panthers vs. Bears
Like most Thursday Night Football games, the Week 10 matchup will not be on television. Instead, you can stream the game with Prime Video. Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit, and Kaylee Hartung will be the broadcast team.
Date: Thursday, Nov. 9 | Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: Solider Field — Chicago, Illinois
TV channel: N/A | Live stream: Prime Video
Odds: Bears -3.5 | O/U 39.5
Bears storylines
The Tyson Bagent show was fun, but it is likely over. The undrafted rookie had started the last three games in place of an injured Justin Fields. It was a heartwarming story, but Bagent wasn't super productive on the field. The team should be excited to see what Fields brings to the table for the rest of the season.
Fields has been out with a thumb injury, but he is day-to-day and should be ready to play in Thursday's game. The quarterback started out the season on a horrible note. He only threw 526 yards in the first three games, and fans were ready to replace him. However, Fields quickly picked it up and reminded everyone why the team was so high on him potentially breaking out coming into the year. The Ohio State product threw four touchdowns in back-to-back games before going down with injury.
In the early part of the season, it appeared that the Bears would firmly be in the Caleb Williams discussion, but Fields' breakout games made everyone reconsider that notion. Still, Caleb Williams is a great prospect, and the team will have a great chance to get him come draft season. Fields' return to the football field will be massive in evaluating his future with the team. He is an elite running quarterback, but he has struggled with reads, accuracy, and holding onto the football for too long.
Fields will be getting some extra help in his return as well. Both Khalil Herbert and Equanimeous St. Brown are returning from injured reserve. The players are two of the Bears' best offensive weapons and will be able to take some of the pressure off of their quarterback.
Panthers storylines
Like the Bears, the Panthers have a young quarterback with high expectations that has somewhat disappointed this year. Bryce Young was the number one pick in the draft, and while he has shown flashes, he has more often shown rookie growing pains. There is still plenty of time for the quarterback to live up to the hype that comes with being the number one overall pick, but his struggles have been magnified by the fact that C.J. Stroud – the number two overall pick – is having a historic rookie season. Young only has eight touchdowns to seven interceptions so far.
Young doesn't have a lot of help, but Adam Thielen has had a resurgence of a season in his first year in Carolina. The long-time Vikings' pass catcher already has 62 catches for 610 yards at the midway point. He had 67 catches two seasons ago and 70 catches last year throughout the entire course of the season. His 610 receiving yards this year nearly match his season output from two years ago (726) and last year (716) as well.
Trade deadline moves
The Panthers also ensured at the trade deadline that there would be some superstar talent to help on the defensive end and allow the team to not always be playing from behind. Brian Burns was a hot trade target for the second year in a row, but yet again, the team decided to hold onto the edge rusher. It was reported that the Bears were even one of the teams interested in Burns. Unfortunately for the Panthers, Burns suffered a concussion last game.
The Bears instead ended up with Montez Sweat. They traded a second-round pick to get the pass rusher, and they immediately made him a part of their long-term plans when they signed him to a $98 million contract extension. Sweat was a great addition to the Bears, and he is sure to make life harder on Bryce Young this week. Still, the Bears have to be a little concerned about trading a second-round draft pick at the trade deadline. It was a mistake they made last year when they traded for Chase Claypool. That trade has gone down to look like one of the worst moves in recent memory.
At first glance, the Sweat deal looks like a better move for the Bears. Still, it was somewhat surprising to see a team with a poor record move on from a premier draft pick. It appears the Bears are banking on the Panthers pick that they own turning into the top pick, which means the Bears will do whatever it takes to win this week. Neither team has shown much in terms of production this year, though, so the game truly could go either way.
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