Bears defense leads the league in turnovers with Carolina coming to town.

PANTHERS (1-5) AT BEARS (5-1)

By Football Night in America’s Eliott Kalb

• Following Sunday’s home loss to the Cowboys, Panthers owner Jerry Richardson fired GM Marty Hurney whose ten-year tenure included the team’s only Super Bowl appearance and two trips to NFC Championship games.  However, the Panthers never had consecutive winning seasons under Hurney.  The Panthers’ 1-5 record is worst in the NFC this season and their 9-29 mark since the start of 2010 is the worst in the league over that span.
• Carolina will need to take care of the ball.  Only the Eagles (17) have more giveaways than the Panthers (13) in the NFC.
• The Panthers will be going against a Bears defense that leads the NFL in takeaways (21) and interceptions (14).  Chicago’s defense also leads the NFL allowing just 13 points per game.
• The Bears have won each of their last four games while outscoring their opponents 111 to 34 in that span!
• The Panthers have been outscored 101 to 61 during their current four-game losing streak.
• Jay Cutler practiced this week with rib protector pads and expects to play Sunday despite suffering bruised ribs on a vicious hit from Ndamukong Suh on Monday night.
• Chicago has won each of Cutler’s last seven starts at home.  Their last loss at home with Cutler under center came vs. the Packers September 25^th, 2011.
• These two teams met in October 2011 at Soldier Field.  Cam Newton threw for 374 yards with three touchdowns (two rush) but Matt Forte ran for a career-high 205 yards in a 34-29 Bears victory.
• Carolina’s season has been further derailed by injuries.  This week, linebacker Jon Beason (knee and shoulder) and cornerback Chris Gamble (shoulder) were both placed on IR.
• Injuries have also hurt the offensive line with All-Pro center Ryan Kalil out for the season.  After struggling in the guard position last Sunday, Byron Bell will be back at right tackle Sunday after a one-week stay.  Backup lineman Jeff Byers may get the starting nod at right guard this week.
• Ron Rivera and offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski are planning to shift the running game from a zone read system to a more power running game this week.  The Panthers hope that the return of the running game will ease the pressure on Newton.  Last season, the Panthers were third in the NFL in rushing while averaging 25.4 points per game.
• Warren Moon, who has served as a mentor for Cam Newton, suggested this week that criticism targeting Newton has been unfair and race-related.  “I heard somebody compare him to Vince Young, Moon told Yahoo Sports.  “It’s the same old crap – it’s always a comparison of one black to another black.  I get tired of it.  I get tired of defending it.  If you want to compare him to someone because of his demeanor, compare him to Jay Cutler.  There are a lot of guys who whine and moan.  Cam’s not biting anybody’s head off or pushing his lineman.  He’s just disgruntled and not handling losing well…”  Newton said this week he doesn’t believe the criticism is race-related.
• While Moon may point out their similar demeanors, Jay Cutler and Cam Newton’s stats are pretty similar at this point in the season.  Newton is 101 for 173 for 1,387 yards.  He has five passing touchdowns, six interceptions and a 79.3 passer rating. Cutler is 106 for 187 for 1,359 yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. His rating is 78.3.
• Panthers Head Coach Ron Rivera returns to Chicago where he spent his entire nine-year playing career.  Rivera also served as Lovie Smith’s defensive coordinator for the Bears from 2004 to ’06.